Reaper: Final Destination 3
by Jack E. Peace
Summary: For a year Kimberly and Thomas believed they had cheated Death's design. But as the anniversary of the pileup approaches, they meet something that put them back on the List and breaks all the rules they think they know. Completed
1. Chapter One: Portents

Disclaimer: The characters from "Final Destination 2" don't belong to me, nor do the events from the first two films. Everyone else does.   
  
A/N: Set a year of F.D.2 The more reviews I get, the more chapters I will post so please review (honestly) and please enjoy  
  
Chapter One   
  
Portents   
  
Kimberly Corman was uneasy and, from past experience, being uneasy made her nervous; she had learned long ago to trust her instincts and feelings, knowing that everything could tell her something. So, when the uneasy feeling crept down her spine as she washed glass dinner plates, her mind clicked onto heightened alert. She placed the plate into the sink, shutting off the water, glancing around her, eyes roaming the Spartan kitchen. Uneasy feelings weren't appreciated but they were listened to, something her late friend Clear Rivers had taught her.   
  
Seeing nothing deadly or out of place in the sparse kitchen, Kimberly sighed, resting her elbows on the kitchen counter and running her wet fingers through her hair. The feeling passed as quickly as it had come, but she found herself unable to feel at ease, for there was a cold pit still in her stomach.   
  
As Kimberly reached to turn the faucet back on, her nose began to itch, tickling and burning. She rubbed it with her palm, trying to block out the smell that was tingling her sense; she found she couldn't place the smell, almost as though she had never smelt it before. Before Kimberly could detect the origin of the smell, it disappeared, the itching disappearing with it.   
  
A frown appeared on her face as she picked up the wet dash and a worn, damp rag; she began drying the dish, letting the stillness of the house enclose her, the silence wrapping around her like a blanket. She attempted to remain as silent as possible, knowing that she almost felt better when things were quiet.   
  
* * *   
  
The over whelming smell of gas chocked her, shoving itself down her throat. It filled her lungs, driving out the cool air and replacing it with the burning gasoline. She gagged, attempting to refill her lungs with clean air but all she could breathe in was the gas.   
  
It was difficult, now, for her to breathe at all, the gasoline filling her head, making it difficult for her to remember to open her mouth to attempt to replenish her lungs. Dizziness clouded her vision but she couldn't see anything anyway, for the area was dark and unfamiliar.   
  
Finally, the dizziness and pain became too much and she succumbed to the fiery temptation to die.   
  
* * *   
  
She didn't realize that she was having trouble breathing until she awoke with a start, struggling to catch her breath; she was shaking violently, hair stringy with sweat. Her chest rose and feel rapidly as she sucked in breaths, the lingering feelings of being smothered clinging to her brain, the unmistakable scent of gasoline seeming to hang in the air.   
  
She continued to shake violently and she shivered, despite the mid-spring heat that filled the house. Her green eyes scanned the area, looking for signs of danger or fear, of anything out of the ordinary.   
  
Everything was as it should be and she was still alone in the house, bathed in afternoon sunshine. Sighing, she dropped back onto the couch, pulling a thin blanket around her shaking form, closing her eyes and burrowing her face against a pillow.   
  
'It was just a dream', she assured herself, 'just a dream.'   
  
* * *   
  
"I smelled something strange today." Kimberly informed Officer Thomas Burke as he asked her about her day.   
  
Thomas frowned at her, staring at the woman he had loved for almost a year, trying to read her expression; she was often a mystery to him and that was okay with him most of the time because he often didn't want to know what was plaguing her mind: the pain, the death, the scars. Her constant fear, despite the fact that she should have none. But then, he figured that fearing for your life was a hard habit to break.   
  
"Something strange?" Thomas repeated, searching her face. "What do you mean?"   
  
Kimberly shrugged helplessly, frowning as well. "I was doing the dishes and then I smelled something...strange, and it burned my nose but I couldn't figure out where it was coming from or what it was. Then it was gone." She explained, thinking back to the uneasy feeling that she had felt in the kitchen.   
  
Thomas felt shivers skitter down his spine, despite the fact that Kimberly might simply be jumping to conclusions. Was she insinuating that Death was coming back to get them, that it had waited long enough? It wasn't supposed to happen that way, they had cheated Death and they both knew that.   
  
"Kimberly", he began patiently, "just because you smelled something strange doesn't mean anything." He wasn't sure if he was trying to make Kimberly feel better or himself.   
  
Kimberly, however would have none of it and continued. "What if it was a sign?" She persisted, narrowing her eyes at him. "Clear told me to always pay attention to the signs." She reminded.   
  
Thomas sighed, running his hands through his hair, leaning against the back of the couch. "Kimberly, you can't keep doing this; everything you see if not a Sign of Death. We beat Death, we did so please, stop doing this to yourself." He pleaded, taking her lithe, scarred hands in his.   
  
She offered him a wavy smile, nodding slowly. "You're right, you're right...it's just that...it's almost been a year since..." She trailed off, shrugging, suddenly uncomfortably. She couldn't explain what she felt and she wasn't sure she wanted to. If she had paid more attention to the signs before, maybe more people would still be alive; maybe Clear and her friends...maybe she wouldn't be gripped by terror every time the shadows shifted.   
  
If Bludworth, the Mortician, was right -which Thomas believed he was and she did as well, knowing that she would go crazy if she didn't- then they had been ripped off Death's list. Her drowning and being revived had given Death new life; they were safe, Death wasn't stalking them anymore. Yet, she couldn't help but look at the signs, couldn't stop jumping at shadows.   
  
Thomas smiled and gently kissed Kimberly on the forehead. "Whatever you smelled probably just came from upstairs." He told her, raising an eyebrow.   
  
Kimberly smiled as well, knowing that he was probably right; their upstairs neighbors were often rowdy, the price for living in an apartment. Anything unusual that happened in the apartment complex could often be blamed on the Pattersons upstairs. "God, sometimes, I hate this place." She griped as Thomas stood up, kissing the top of her head as he walked past her.   
  
Thomas shrugged, though Kimberly couldn't see the gesture while he was in the kitchen. "For thirty bucks a month, I'm surprised we don't have cult members for neighbors." He called from his spot by the sink.   
  
Kimberly smiled, feeling much better then she had only moments ago. She opened her mouth to agree but before she could form any words, the stifling odor from before returned, filling her nose and mouth, choking her. Kimberly gagged, coughing, attempting to breathe despite the thick air; now it wasn't just a smell, it was in the air, real, thick and overpowering.   
  
She continued to cough, attempting to block out the choking air. By the time Thomas reached her, asking what was wrong, the air and its odor were gone. Kimberly took a deep breath and pressed herself against Thomas' chest, hair spilling across her face. "It was the smell again but this time it was stronger...different." She told him, not bothering to look his way.   
  
At first, Thomas didn't know what to say, he was too confused; he understood that, for some reason, Kimberly could predict Death but he didn't understand why she could still do it...now, after they had beaten Death. What could she possibly see now? "Kimberly..." He began but stopped when she pulled away from him.   
  
"Thomas, stop, don't say anything. I know what I saw...what I felt." Kimberly said, finally meeting his gaze. "It was a sign, but I'm not sure what it means." She frowned, now staring down at her feet.   
  
Thomas sighed, knowing there was nothing he could say to get her mind of Death and its signs. "What did you smell?" He asked when he realized he hadn't before.   
  
It didn't take Kimberly a long time to answer. "Gas." 


	2. Chapter Two: Search

Chapter Two   
  
Search   
  
She didn't want to drift back to sleep, didn't want to risk the fear and pain again. So, sighing, she pulled herself off the couch, tossing the blanket aside.   
  
Altessa Adams jumped when a loud click filled the still house, shattering the safe silence. She sighed and rolled her eyes, mentally chiding herself for being so skittish.   
  
The back door to the house opened and the click of high heels announced the entrance of Amanda Adams, going through the garage and into the kitchen. "Altessa? Sweetheart?" She called from the kitchen, groaning loudly as she dropped the plastic grocery bag, she had been struggling with, onto the kitchen table. "I'm home."   
  
Once again, the teenager rolled her eyes, this time at her mother's obvious statement. "No shit." She grumbled and then said louder, "Hello Mom," wishing that the once silent house still belonged to her.   
  
"Honey, come in here and help me with these groceries; we're having your favorite tonight: lasagna." Amanda commanded, her words not a request. With another, longer, sigh, Altessa walked into the kitchen, her bare feet slapping against the wooden floor.   
  
"That's not my favorite." She told her mother as she pulled out a loaf of bread. She wasn't surprised when her mother appeared not to hear her, for she never paid attention to her second child. The fifteen-year-old continued to put away the plunder of her mother's shopping trip silently, though Amanda rambled on about her stressful day at work, which didn't sound too stressful to her daughter.   
  
Amanda paused in her monologue when she noticed her daughter was pacing around the kitchen silently, a can of soup in her hand, cheeks and face ashen. "Altessa, what's wrong?" She asked, crossing the kitchen to stand before her daughter.   
  
Altessa shrugged, pursing her lips. "Nothing." She answered shortly, pausing before relenting. "I had a nightmare."   
  
Her mother smiled faintly and tucked her daughter's black hair behind her shoulders. "You don't get enough sleep honey." She scolded before turning back toward the groceries. "You haven't been since..." She paused, deciding once again to remain silent.   
  
Her daughter's sigh was all she needed to know that Altessa knew exactly when she had stopped being able to sleep through the night, knowing that she didn't need to say anything more. Altessa sighed once again, used to her mother's silence and shift in priorities, knowing that Amanda believed that making sure the bread was put away was important then talking to her daughter.   
  
Without a word, Altessa slunk out of the kitchen, enfolding herself in silence.  
  
* * *   
  
Kimberly grimaced as she peered into the musty darkness, squinting her eyes. "I can't see anything." She murmured.   
  
Thomas handed her a silver flashlight, which he had already clicked on and Kimberly gratefully stabbed it into the blackness. Even with the aid of the flashlight, it was still difficult for her to see deep into the utility shed, which made up the bottom level of the apartment complex.  
  
Kimberly and Thomas had gone to the supervisor earlier, attempting to warn him about the potential gas leak -which Kimberly believed the signs were pointing to- but he had been indifferent to what they had to say. So, like when she had attempted to stop the pileup, she had decided to take matters into her own hands. That was why she and Thomas were investigating the utility room, which appeared to have been neglected longer than Kimberly had been alive.   
  
"Do you see anything now?" Thomas inquired, suddenly feeling uneasy. Even though he loved and trusted Kimberly, he couldn't shake the knowledge that weird things happened around her. A year ago they had cheated Death, but weird things still seemed to cling to them; though they were many little things, like a potted plant falling off a window sill right after Kimberly walked underneath it, Thomas still found himself nervous whenever they two of them got near dank, dark places.   
  
Like the utility room.   
  
"No." Kimberly answered, stepping into the room, eyes roving across the ceiling, walls and floor. The golden beam of the flashlight danced across the walls, playing across the network of metal pipes that provided the complex with heat, water and natural gas. And the latter was what Kimberly was worried about.   
  
Thomas watched as she disappeared into the cloak of darkness; the spring heat and sunlight do nothing to ease the jitters he had and the worries he felt for both himself and Kimberly. Just because they had been "taken off the List" didn't make them invincible; there were still plenty of ways to be killed in the dark.   
  
Kimberly, hurry up." Thomas called, his words peeling through the blackness. She didn't answer, just continued through the room, eyes and nose alert for her quarry.   
  
The beam continued to rove across the pipes and rusted garden implements, proof that the yard had never been cared for. Kimberly regarded the rusted hedge clippers and hanging saws, quickly averting her gaze. Attempting to take her mind off such things, she continued to look for any signs of a gas leak.   
  
But there was nothing, not a single pipe had even a hairline crack in the metal; she couldn't smell the choking scent either. "Thomas I don't-" Kimberly began but she paused when a tiny clicking noise filled the room, echoing off the walls. She played the beam across the floor, grimacing when she saw what it revealed.   
  
"Ugh, rats." Kimberly frowned, shivers running down her spine. She found it somewhat funny that, even after she had cheated Death many times, she was still afraid of rats.   
  
"Are you okay?" Thomas called, sounding nervous as he spoke. "Kimberly?"   
  
Hearing his voice, Kimberly smiled slightly, beginning to walk toward the doorway once again; she felt relieved that there was no gas leak, at least, not for the moment.   
  
Behind her, metal grated together, shrieking almost silently; Kimberly spun around, holding the silver flashlight before her like a sword. The beam washed over a rusted metal shelf, filled with rust covered gardening tools scraping against it. She frowned, taking a step backward before realizing what she had done.   
  
She sighed, heading back toward the exit door, putting her left foot down on a large furry rat. Both human and rodent let out a shriek; Kimberly stumbled backward and hit the ground hard, groaning in pain.   
  
The second she hit the ground, a pair of hedge clippers tumbled off the shelf and imbedded in the spot she had been standing seconds earlier. With wide eyes, she watched the clippers quiver, attempting to push the image of the clippers imbedded in her body, out of her mind.   
  
"Kimberly! Are you okay?" Thomas called, his words filling her eyes and bring her away from her morbid fantasy.   
  
She sighed, casting a fleeting glance at the hedge clippers as she pushed herself upward. "Yeah, I'm okay." She assured him, frowning. She just didn't know for how long. 


	3. Chapter Three: Life

Chapter Three   
  
Life   
  
Not far from where Kimberly Corman was escaping near death by hedge clippers, Altessa Adams was thinking about death. After having left her mother in the kitchen, surely still talking to herself, the teenager had retreated to her private second story bedroom, intent on finishing her homework assignment before the weekend was over.   
  
There, sitting on her desk amidst her folders and papers, was the Metro section of this morning's paper, which definitely had not been there when she had last left her room. Curious, Altessa picked the paper up, wondering where it had come from and why it was on her desk; before tossing it into the wastebasket, a single bold headline caught her eye. "Highway 23 Accident Anniversary Approaches and Victims' Families Establish Memorial Fund."   
  
The teenager was intrigued, having heard about the pileup on Highway 23, which happened a year ago tomorrow. "The Highway 23 pileup was the worst recorded pileup in New York history, killing fifteen people when a lumber fell onto the road nearly a year ago. Nearly mirroring the events that happened a year ago on the day, of air craft 180, a college student reportedly 'predicted' the accident. Kimberly Corman, now 21, blocked off an onramp and saved seven lives, including State Patrol Officer Thomas Burke. The story, however, took a tragic turn when six of the seven survivors -not including Corman- died in freak accidents, including lotto winner Evan Lewis.   
  
"Families of the victims, including the Lewis family, are establishing a joint memorial fund, where the proceeds will go to improving highway safety." There, the report ending, saying a few sentences more on how Kimberly Corman's prediction mirrored the prediction of Alex Browning, two years before. Since, Alex Browning and his girlfriend, Clear Rivers, had been killed in freak accidents.   
  
Altessa sighed, frowning and pursing her lips; she remembered hearing about the explosion of Flight 180, which happened on the same day she and her family had moved into their current house. Her mother had been horrified at and the news, and insisted that her daughter didn't attend Mt. Abraham High School, as though they had something to do with the crash.   
  
She also remembered hearing about the pileup in Highway 23, but she didn't remember hearing about Kimberly Corman, or anything that happened afterwards. She was suffering from her own accident. "Weird." Altessa mumbled to herself, thinking it was even stranger that the paper had suddenly appeared but figuring that it was nothing out of the "Twilight Zone" for her father or brother had probably just put it there.   
  
She scanned the page again, stopping when she saw a blurry black and white photo of Kimberly Corman and Officer Thomas Burke, as the young patrolman led the college student into the police station, flanked by the other survivors of the crash. Kimberly was staring forlornly off into space, though straight into the camera shooting the photograph; Altessa stared into her eyes, feeling as though Kimberly's pain and confusion mirrored her own.   
  
A knock on her door startled her, causing her to drop the paper into the trashcan beside her foot. Rolling her eyes again for being so skittish, Altessa turned to face the closed oaken door, knowing by the knock that it was her older brother, Michael. "Yes?" She called out, also telling the eighteen-year-old that he was free to open the door.   
  
Michael Adams, eighteen and more then ready to move out of the house, slowly opened the door and poked his head inside, smiling slightly at his younger sister. He too noticed her ashen cheeks and pale complexion but decided not to say anything, knowing his sister didn't like to be bothered with such concerns. Though he didn't know why...but it seemed whenever someone expressed concern for Altessa, she became even more withdrawn. "Hey, Morgan's here." He told her instead, motioning behind him.   
  
At his words, Altessa smiled slightly, welcoming the arrival of her best friend, whom she had known since she had moved in. Sixteen-year-old Morgan Richards pushed past Michael, a smile on her face, blonde hair pulled back in a messy ponytail. "Hey Altessa, long time no see." She joked by way of a greeting, since the friends had seen each other only the day before.   
  
Without a word, Michael slipped out of his sister's room, shutting the door behind him. Altessa glanced at her friend, giving her a quick once-over and noting how different their outfits, -as well as demeanors- were; Morgan was welcoming the spring weather with a midriff revealing shirt and hip hugging jeans. Altessa knew that she would never again where an outfit like her friend's, for it far too easily revealed the scars, things she would much rather keep hidden.   
  
"So, Morgan, what's up?" She asked, pushing those thoughts aside as she looked at her blonde friend, who flopped down on the single day bed.   
  
For a second, Morgan didn't answer, studying her nails and attempted to decide if they needed a fresh coat of paint. As Altessa watched her, she remembered a time when she was more concerned with the color of her nail polish then anything else; but, things changed and she had since realized how important it was to dwell on things far more important. "Do we have plans tonight, Al?" Morgan asked, using her friend's most hated nickname.   
  
Altessa shrugged, knowing that she was not usually the one to make the plans but instead she said, "I don't know, maybe you could stay over tonight and we could rent a video or something." By the look Morgan gave her, she could tell that her words didn't sum up her friend's idea of fun.   
  
Altessa wasn't the only one thinking of how things used to be different; two years ago, Altessa would have been more then willing to stay out all night, hitting the teen clubs in the area with her best friend and jock boyfriend. But, Morgan realized that things were suddenly so different now, and she didn't have to wonder why. "Look, Altessa, why do you want to stay in? I mean, you've got a fun loving best friend and a great boyfriend; you've got your whole life ahead of you. Why don't you act like it?" Morgan advised, raising an eyebrow.   
  
Her friend sighed, knowing that what she said was true, but at times, it didn't feel that way.   
  
* * *   
  
Despite the fact that she had found no trace of a gas leak seeping into the apartment complex, Kimberly found that she didn't feel any better. She figured it was because of the brush with the hedge clippers -which she hoped didn't put her back on Death's list but managed to assure herself that it didn't; she had decided not to tell Thomas about the incident, not wanting to worry him. She did, however, tell him about the rats.   
  
"I absolutely hate rats, Thomas." Kimberly assured him adamantly, forgetting for a moment about a supernatural horror, concentrating on a rodent one. "They were so large, furry, with teeth..." She demonstrated the rodent's teeth by pushing her lips back and curling her fingers into tiny paws. Truthfully, she was happy that the utility room had rats, for the rodent very well may have saved her life.   
  
Thomas laughed at her impersonation of the horrid creatures in the dark, shaking his head; he was pleased to see her joking, knowing that this was surely the way she must have acted before the pileup a year ago. "Right, first cults and now rats; what a fine place we live in." He remarked, pulling her into a hug and ruffling her brunette hair, a gesture he knew she secretly loved but pretended to hate.   
  
Kimberly wrestled away from, a smile on her face, tossing her hair, pretending her best to be angry. "I want to move." She informed him, words she said nearly everyday, saying them as though the thought had just occurred to her.   
  
Thomas pursed his lips, letting out a sigh; he didn't speak but Kimberly knew what he was thinking: a low-rung police officer and a college student couldn't afford any better then an apartment complex that housed more rats then people. When she had decided to move in with him three months ago, they had decided to move out of Thomas' apartment, though now Kimberly wasn't sure why. The tiny one bedroom apartment could barely hold them, let alone all the junk they had amassed over the years, including the blue kayak that Thomas refused to part with, which he had strung to the ceiling once again.   
  
Kimberly found herself gazing longingly at two-story house that had "for sale" signs in their front lawns, hoping one day to move out of the crappy apartment and getting a real house; she often took the free broachers to look at, or peered into the windows of already empty houses. She sighed, leaning against the back of the over-stuffed couch, knowing that her uneasy feeling had nothing to do with the horrible apartment.   
  
It was the feeling that she had become so familiar with, the feeling she had felt while leaving for Daytona a year ago...the feeling that Death was still coming for her and Thomas. That it wasn't over.   
  
* * *   
  
Altessa listened to her friend tell her about the college boy she had seen in the gas station on her way over, but her mind was far from Morgan's story. She was still thinking about the mysterious newspaper on her desk, and the pileup on Highway 23, the crash of Flight 180. When she believed Morgan's story to be over, Altessa turned to face her, tossing her black hair behind her shoulders. "Morgan, do you know anything about the pileup on Highway 23 that happened a year ago?" She questioned, jade eyes resting on her blonde friend.   
  
Morgan blinked, surprised by the question but then nodded slowly. "Yeah, why?" She asked, raising an eyebrow. Her friend had often been scatterbrained but her questions usually led to somewhere, even if that somewhere couldn't be seen right away.   
  
"Well, I was just curious how much you knew, because you know the anniversary is tomorrow and I remember hearing about Flight 180, which happened two years ago but...how much do you know?" Altessa rambled, searching for the newspaper but being unable to find it. Something told her to learn more about this Kimberly Corman and anything related to her; something about the whole ordeal stood out at her, perhaps it was the weirdness of the events or the coincidence of Kimberly Corman having a dream about the same pileup. Lately, her life had been filled with coincidences and she wasn't sure she was ready to believe that they weren't something more.   
  
Morgan sighed, leaning against the propped up pillows on her friend's bed. "Well, I know that this chick supposedly saw a huge traffic accident before it happened and she saved some people but then those people died. She said it was like what had happened to that kid from Mount Abraham, you know, the Flight 180 guy." She told her friend, not sure she believed the whole thing, though it was strange. "It was kinda like that, all the people he saved on the plane died and all the people she saved died too."   
  
Altessa nodded, knowing most of what Morgan had said; she saw her friend wince slightly, and knew that the blonde was touchy about saying the word 'death' around the raven-haired teenager. Altessa understood her hesitation, not liking the word anymore then she did, for she had come too close to death to be comfortable with it.   
  
The blonde stared at her friend, who remained silent. When she finally could take it no more, Morgan prompted, "I know exactly what you're thinking: that's strange."   
  
Altessa shook her head slightly, knowing strange very well. "Well, that's life." 


	4. Chapter Four: Calm

Sorry it took so long to post, but thanks so much for all the reviews, I'm glad you guys like it, it means a lot to me! Everything about Altessa will be revealed in time, I'm glad I'm keeping you guessing! Thanks again!  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
Chapter Four   
  
Calm   
  
Kimberly stabbed at her cooling Chinese take-out with wooden chopsticks that she had no idea how to use. Unable to spear anything, she switched to a fork but simply stared down at her egg roll once the tongs had speared it, no longer feeling hungry. The apartment was silent and she was alone, for Thomas had been called out by his police duties, promising that he would return within the hour. Every time he left, Kimberly knew part of her wondered if he would ever return, fearing that Death wasn't finished just biding Its time; even everyday calls, like settling a neighborhood dispute -such were most of the tasks that Thomas was often assigned to now, after his captain had charged him with aiding and abetting his girlfriend in escaping the police and a speeding ticket (which she had later gotten, along with Thomas' drop in position)- could turn deadly and all Death needed was one little thing to finish Its task.   
  
For once, the silence in the apartment was deafening, where it was usually a welcome thing; she figured it was simply because the void was filled with thoughts of Death, which always made her skittish and wary. Kimberly knew she would never be able to look at the world the same way, knowing all the traps and trips that lay around, just waiting to snare a human life.   
  
Since there was nothing else for her to do, Kimberly stood up and carried the half-empty white containers to the trash can, leaving the ones she had ordered for Thomas out on the table, along with two useless pairs of chopsticks. When she returned to the table, she noticed that the chopsticks had seemed to change position, with her pair pointing downward, the other crossing the middle, almost making an "A" shape.   
  
Pursing her lips, Kimberly snatched up the wooden implements and threw them into the sink, wishing for the first time that she wasn't haunted by the signs that Death seemed to mock her with. Whether the chopsticks were truly a Sign or not didn't matter, for they would forever be on her mind until she understood what Death, or whatever it was, was trying to tell her.   
  
Everything inside of her was telling her that it wasn't over, that you couldn't cheat Death forever, that It was coming back for them. But her logic, the part of her brain that wasn't driven mad by Death, told her that they had beaten Death once and for all. But Kimberly knew that Death was a sadistic son-of-a-bitch that surely didn't play by the rules, real or supernatural.   
  
Kimberly sighed, thinking about the impossible fight with Death and thinking about Thomas somewhere away from the semi-safe apartment didn't make her feel any better. Praying to something she didn't always believe in, she left the kitchen and headed into the living room.   
  
* * *   
  
The house was filled with sounds of life, the noise and activity that Altessa often didn't appreciate; she enjoyed the stillness and silence, even though that was normally where the fear lurked.   
  
Downstairs, her mother was searching through the junk drawers in the kitchen, picking through years of collected crap to find the menu to her favorite Mexican take-out restaurant. Despite the large amount of groceries that she purchased every week, she hardly ever cooked and was a large fan of take-out; her husband would often tease her, saying that every take-out place within ten miles of their house knew them by name.   
  
At the moment, Doug Adams was telling his wife about his day at work while attempting to help her find the menu, though Amanda was barely listening. He paused when his teenage daughter and her friend entered the kitchen, Morgan rattling on about the upcoming high school Spring Dance. Altessa was trying to her hardest to pay attention and even harder to truly care but something was bothering her, clinging the edges of her brain, which made both things hard to do.   
  
Amanda looked up as well, turning to face her raven-haired daughter, fed up with looking for the menu. "Altessa have you seen the-" She began but was quickly cut off by her daughter.   
  
"It's in the drawer by the refrigerator, sitting at the kitchen table, Morgan taking a seat beside her.   
  
At first, Amanda appeared confused, gazing around the semi-circle that the drawers and sink created along the left side of the kitchen, looking at the last drawer, which brushed against the white refrigerator. It was the one drawer that she hardly ever used to store anything in and couldn't remember the last time she had opened it, let alone put anything inside. However, her daughter's conviction about a question that she hadn't even hard all the way caused Amanda to go over to the drawer and slide it open.   
  
Altessa watched out of the corner of her eye as her mother pulled the drawer open and pulled out the worn menu she had been searching for. Amanda turned to face her, surprised, holding the menu before. "How did you know that was there?" She asked, placing the menu on the counter beside her.   
  
Altessa chose not to answer, simply shrugging her shoulders, knowing that there wasn't an answer she could give. For the past year, she had been able to find anything that anyone was looking for, without even trying, the location just popped into her head. However, she hadn't been able to find anything that belonged to her and still had no idea why she had suddenly developed such a talent, one that she had yet to tell anyone about. And all of these thoughts she still kept to herself as she asked, "Mother, can I go out tonight with Morgan and Shane?"   
  
Earlier, Morgan had persuaded Altessa to go out tonight with her best friend and boyfriend of two years, but her heart truthfully wasn't in it, but she did her best to mask that fact, as she did with everything else.   
  
Amanda paused in her dialing, looking up from the menu. "No, I don't think so." She mumbled off-handedly, looking at her daughter and noting the dark circles underneath her eyes. She figured that her daughter's solemn attitude had to do with lack of sleep and was about to say so, but decided to save it for later. "What do you want for dinner?"   
  
Altessa frowned, glaring at her mother. "I thought we were having lasagna." She remarked, almost inaudible. She didn't care what they were having for dinner and wanted to do nothing more then lock herself in her room.   
  
If Amanda heard her daughter at all, she didn't show it and didn't answer, continuing to dial the Mexican take-out number, reading over the menu once again. "Maybe you can go out tomorrow, after the open-house." Once again, her words were off-hand, as though added in an afterthought.   
  
Altessa mutely nodded, thinking that the open-house was another thing she wasn't looking forward to; for nearly a year, her parents had been trying to sell their house and had their sights set on an old Victorian house that had recently gone up for sale. Amanda had been planning to attend the open-house for two weeks and wasn't going to let her two teenage children forget that it was the following day.   
  
Morgan stood up and motioned for Altessa to follow suit, bidding her friend's parents goodbye as she headed out of the kitchen. They were silent until Altessa shut the door behind them, sitting down on the concrete stoop. The blonde turned to face her raven-haired friend, lips pursed. "So, you're really selling the house?" She questioned, gazing at the two-story behind her.   
  
Altessa shrugged, nodding slightly. "I guess so, I'm not too broken up about it." She told her friend, speaking only the truth. There were horrible memories that came attached to the house, memories that she'd rather soon forget despite the fact that she never could. Some things were impossible to forget and simply painful to remember. Altessa figured, however, that moving out of the house might be the first step in moving past the pain.   
  
"Right." Morgan nodded, understanding as she stood up again, heading for her black, run-down car parked in the driveway. The friends said their goodbyes and promised to meet up tomorrow; Altessa watched as her friend drove down the empty street.   
  
And Altessa Adams was alone once more.   
  
* * *   
  
Kimberly paced around the cluttered living room, trying to release some of the tension that she felt. Nothing was helping and so she decided that perhaps something proactive would be just the thing she was looking for. Her eyes resting on the laptop computer that she had taken with her when she had moved out of the house, though it had been pretty much unused.   
  
Staring at the computer brought up painful memories of the past and got her thinking about how she and Shana had stayed on the Internet for hours, logging into chatrooms and pretending to be however they wanted to be.   
  
Those thoughts fueled her uneasy feelings and her desire to make sure that no one else died without living a full life; Kimberly didn't know what she could do but that wasn't going to stop her from seeing if there was at least something. She sat down in front of the computer, turned it on and waited for the Internet to connect. "All right, where to start?" She mumbled to herself, fingers poised over the keys.   
  
The only place to start was the beginning and Kimberly hoped that there was something buried in the past, the missing piece that she had been searching for, the piece that she knew was there, that she needed to truly figure everything out. She could listen to Thomas talk about how they had finally beat death but she couldn't help but think that something was missing, that it had all been too easy.   
  
Kimberly typed 'Highway 23' into the search bar and waited for a list of websites to pop up on the screen. The list was extensive, pulling up anything that had the words included; one article was about the explosion that had killed Clear, Eugene and six other people.   
  
She remembered that moment very well, the happiness that she felt, thinking that they had beat Death because Isabella's child had been born. And then the confusion she had when she had seen that Isabella was never supposed to die in the pileup. And the pain that had coursed through her when she had seen Clear's charred and broken body, the guilt...   
  
Pushing these thoughts from her mind, Kimberly continued to scroll down, getting no where; she didn't know what she had expected to find by going online. Everything these pages had to say she already knew.   
  
Every link blurred together, some tying in with the accident and the survivors ("Lotto Winner dies in Freak Apartment Accident") and some that she had no clue how they fit in with the Design ("Teen Nearly Killed in Attempted Robbery.")   
  
"This is useless." Kimberly groaned, signing off the Internet, knowing that whatever answers she needed wouldn't be found in cyberspace.   
  
She leaned against the back of the car, sighing deeply, knowing that she was no better off now then she had been earlier. She was still clueless, filled with questions, sitting in the calm eye of a deadly storm. 


	5. Chapter Five: Anniversary

Chapter Five   
  
Anniversary   
  
Night had fallen once more and Altessa had finally fallen with it; she had fallen asleep at her desk, pen still in hand where it was poised over her homework assignment. Her eyes moved behind her closed lids, dreaming, immersed in an uneasy sleep, filled with a dark dream, similar yet oddly different to the ones she had suffered before.   
  
In her dream she was once again alone in a place she didn't know, hardly able to see through the thick curtain of darkness that hung before her face. But as she peered through the darkness, taking a few steps forward, she saw that she wasn't alone after all, that there was another faceless figure in the dark with her. As Altessa stared at the immobile figure she realized that she was comforted by its presence, wanting nothing more then to go to it, feeling as though it took away from the darkness in the place.   
  
"Who are you?" Altessa called into the din, unaware that she had spoken at first and not expecting an answer. She wasn't disappointed.   
  
Suddenly, the teenager was alone in the dark again, the familiar, smothering nightmare returning. Altessa found herself unable to fight the gas, as usual, and all but let the dream vapor shove itself down her throat, letting the foggy fingers of Death close around her once more.   
  
As she drifted out of consciousness, she heard a soothing female voice whispering in her ear but she couldn't make out the words. But the comforting sensation had returned and the voice was the last thing she heard before everything was completely dark.   
  
* * *   
  
Altessa woke, breathing heavily, a cold sweat dripping down her cheeks and forehead; she was once again the victim of the only nightmare she could ever remember, once again awaking during the middle of the night with no hope of drifting back to sleep.   
  
Pushing the raven locks away from her face, Altessa glanced around her room, watching the shadows cautiously, feeling that everything seemed strange. For a second, she had the sensation of awaking in an unfamiliar place, only to feel foolish when she recognized the familiar landscape in her room.   
  
Sighing once more, she stood up, pushing the wooden chair behind her as she walked away from her desk, heading to her unused bed. As she laid down atop the covers, Altessa picked up the worn teddy bear that her boyfriend had given her on their first date and crushed it against her chest, gazing up at the ceiling.   
  
Sleep was impossible and so she lay, surrounded in darkness and discomfort, the inaudible words of the comforting woman ringing in her ears.   
  
* * *   
  
Kimberly yawned and rubbed her eyes, stretching her arms above her head; she paused, frowning slightly and glancing around her. She had apparently fallen asleep on the couch, though she hadn't even remembered laying down; for a brief second she panicked, wondering if Thomas had come back that night and had simply decided not to wake her, or if she was still alone in the apartment. The worry paused when she realized that she had been gently covered with a ragged blanket, undoubtedly by Thomas. And, as she became more aware, she could hear the sound of the shower running, drifting down from the hallway.   
  
She yawned again, tossed the blanket aside, standing up, heading toward the kitchen. As she rummaged around for the coffee pot, Kimberly gazed out the window, noting how the sun was just beginning to rise, sending its rays through the light fog that had gathered. She paused to look at the early morning sunrise, trying to remember the last time she had seen one; before long, the sun disappeared behind the clump of trees that had grown almost directly in front of the window.   
  
Kimberly busied herself making coffee, barely remembering the details of a dream that seemed to linger on the edges of her mind. As she thought about it at the moment, she couldn't remember if the dream was a nightmare or something else entirely, finding herself unable to remember too many details. What she did remember, however, was that she was in a dark, unfamiliar place, but she wasn't alone, but the person with her was not someone that she knew. Everything was dark and hazy and she brushed the thoughts quickly from her mind, finding it nearly easy to do so.   
  
As Kimberly watched the coffee pot drip, she heard the shower shut off and Thomas begin to softly hum to himself, causing her to smile slightly. The morning seemed so peaceful, blissfully normal and she forget all about Death and it's Design for the moment.   
  
'This,' Kimberly thought to herself, 'is exactly why you have to keep fighting the Design, for mornings like these.'   
  
* * *   
  
As Altessa crept downstairs, she could hear that the other three members of her family were already awake, gathered in the kitchen. Having spent the entire night awake, the teenager hurried into the kitchen to get a cup of coffee and get the caffeine flowing through her body.   
  
Altessa ignored her mother's false greetings and remain deaf to her father's explanation of something he read in the paper, concentrating only on the coffee and the dream from the night before. Despite the haze in the dream she had the strong feeling that it meant something good, for once, and she could feel it, deep in her scarred body that something was about to change. The life that had been jarred on that not so "Fateful" day a year ago was about to get set back on track and today would be a different day, a day that would end unlike any other. Today, things might straighten themselves out.   
  
And that thought made Altessa smile.   
  
* * *   
  
"Today is going to be a very strange day." Kimberly mulled, more to herself then to Thomas, who was sitting beside her. "I can feel it."   
  
Thomas glanced over at her, pausing as he lifted his coffee cup to his lips, studying the brunette beauty beside him. He knew she was bound to say something to that extent sooner or later, since Kimberly was always thinking about death and its tangled Design. But today, even he was thinking about it, for it was the one-year anniversary of the pileup on Highway 23. He couldn't help but think that if anything was going to happen, it was going to happen today.   
  
"Strange?" He repeated, setting his cup down without taking a sip. "Kimberly, strange can mean so many things."   
  
Kimberly smiled slightly, glancing over at him, her blue eyes taking him in. "I think today is a good strange." She wasn't sure if she believed in what she was saying but at the moment, it seemed like the only thing to say. Thomas mumbled something about that being much-needed but she wasn't paying attention to him any longer, standing up and walking over to the window.   
  
She hadn't told him everything she felt, how could she tell him about the foreboding feelings that were mixed with the good ones? How could she tell him about the feeling that something was coming, the same feeling she had gotten when she had started out for Daytona a year ago? Thomas would surely only tell her that she had nothing to worry about, her feelings were simply misplaced and that they were off Death's list. "For good." He would always add after that statement and she could always tell that he was convincing himself.   
  
Every time he said those two words, Kimberly always worried if he was truly right, if they truly had beaten the Design, or if Death was only tricking them into being safe, into letting their guard down. But as she turned around to face him again, she said none of these things, couldn't bare to confess her worries when she glanced at his soft face and half-smile as he looked at her.   
  
"We should do something today, get out of this place and go to a movie or something." She suggested instead, feeling the need to do something normal on such a painful, abnormal day  
  
Thomas appeared to be slightly surprised by her words at first, even more so by the drastic change in topic. He stood up, walked over to her and pulled her into a hug, kissing the crown of her head before ruffling her hair. "All right, sounds like fun." He agreed when she pulled away from him, a fake frown on her face.   
  
Kimberly couldn't help but smile, turning her gaze past his face and out the window again, seeing that the sun had fully risen and the powder blue sky was beginning to take on the navy blue hue of the afternoon. The day seemed nearly perfect, like she hadn't seen since the day of the Daytona trip.   
  
But in the distance, a mass of dark cloud had begun to mar the horizon. 


	6. Chapter Six: Do You Realize?

Okay, thanks once again for the reviews, I've always wanted to be one of the authors that gets a whole lot of reviews and so far, things are going very well, thank you so much! And, sorry for the long wait on the actual Death-causing event, it's coming next chapter, promise! Now, this is a strange question but if there's anyone out there that has any episodes of the television series "Higher Ground" which stared A.J. Cook, please e-mail me or say so in a review, because I'm dying to see that show! So, thanks and on with the story.   
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~   
  
Chapter Six  
  
Do You Realize?   
  
Altessa couldn't think of anything worse then spending the better part of her afternoon with her parents. But that was exactly the way it appeared things would be as she sat at the breakfast table, listening to her mother rattle on about the open-house they were due to attend in a few hours.   
  
The teenager sat sandwiched between her brother and father, aware that she was under the silent scrutiny of her father and feeling slightly embarrassed in spite of herself. She never liked people to stare at her, always worrying that they wouldn't like what they saw, she almost never did when she stared at herself in the mirror.   
  
Unable to take the staring anymore, Altessa looked away from the surface of the table and stared at her father, locking eyes with him; Doug met her stare with his blue eyes, looking into her green ones (which were often the topic of many a family joke, since no one else had green eyes) and found that it was almost impossible to keep her gaze. He was ashamed to admit that his daughter unnerved him, that a year ago she had become something that was strange to him, unfamiliar, suffering still from the cruel blow that Fate had dealt her. There was almost nothing familiar about her anymore, which made Doug feel even guiltier to realize, despite the fact that it was the truth. 'What happened to my fun-loving daughter?' He questioned silently, though he knew that a part of Altessa had died a year ago.   
  
"Okay, so," his wife's words jarred him from his thoughts and he looked away from his daughter, ashamed, focusing on Amanda. "everyone get ready and around noon we'll leave to go to the open-house."   
  
Altessa frowned, brows knitting. "Mother, you said I could go out today with Morgan and Shane." She reminded, willing to say anything to get out of a family-event. It wasn't her brother or father she wanted to get away from, it was her over-bearing, uncaring, semi-dense mother that had her running for the hills.   
  
"Well, I'm sorry Altessa but this is a family thing." Amanda retorted, not noticing how her daughter seemed to wince at her second to last word. "If you really want to go out with them, invite them along to come with us and I'll drop you guys somewhere afterwards."   
  
Altessa rolled her eyes at her mother's words, standing up and heading out of the kitchen. "I don't even want to spend the day with you, I doubt my friends will." She muttered, knowing that her mother wouldn't hear her words.   
  
No one even noticed she had left the kitchen.   
  
* * *   
  
3 and a half hours later   
  
The house was loom, with large glass windows, flanked by stark white shutters; its roof was clothed in fading shingles, sloping upward, pointing into the sky. The face of the house was cream white, with a powder blue door and a wrap around porch, complete with porch swing and rocking chairs.   
  
The early 1900's Victorian style house caught Kimberly's eye as Thomas' black SUV passed by it, on the way to their favorite deli and coffee shop. She had noticed it before but before it hadn't been for sale, which was the next thing she noticed about it.   
  
"Thomas, look at that house," Kimberly gushed, turning around in her seat to give it her full attention, the habit of peaking into houses for sale returning.   
  
The police officer rolled is eyes, knowing that his girlfriend's house fetish had taken over again; perhaps it was simply the fact that they lived in a crappy apartment that made Kimberly wish to look at every house or sale, or maybe it was simply a woman thing but he wasn't eager to stop and look at a house they could never own.   
  
"It's great Kimberly." He muttered half-heartedly, fidgeting with the radio and not bothering to glance at the house.   
  
Kimberly turned around a few more inches, pulling through the gritty windows, staring at the house as it faded in the distance. "Thomas, there's an open house today, we should stop and look around, it'll be fun." She told him quickly, whirling around. Her words came out in a rush and for a second, he almost asked her to repeat herself.   
  
Knowing that they were surely going to retrace their tire-tracks, Thomas sighed and pulled the SUV over to the curb, letting it idle as she continued to pester him. He had never seen her like this -so childish and aloof- in a while and couldn't help but smile at her, wondering if she used to act like this all the time, before the accident a year ago.   
  
"We can't just show up at every open house in Long Island." Thomas mumbled, trying desperately to get out of visiting the house, a smile on his face none the less.   
  
"Sure we can." Kimberly grinned, the grin of a woman who knew she was about to get what she wanted. "That is the point."   
  
With a sigh, Thomas relented silently and backed the car into someone's driveway, turning around to drive toward the house that was currently the only thing on the brunette's mind. Kimberly smiled to herself, leaning back in the seat; for a brief moment, she felt uneasy, and almost told him to forget the whole thing. But the feeling passed and she decided to remain silent, deciding to attempt to forget it and listen to a Flaming Lips song that had begun on the radio. But all the short drive, Kimberly wondered what had caused the feeling.   
  
They were silent as Thomas pulled his car against the curb in front of the Victorian house, parking behind a run-down blue Cadillac. All ready, the sloping driveway was clogged with a variety of cars, their owners milling around the yard, enjoying the mid-spring weather.   
  
Kimberly unbuckled her seatbelt but stayed in the car for a second after Thomas exited, staring up at the house; the uneasy feeling had returned but she pushed it away, climbing out of the car.   
  
* * *   
  
Altessa had to admit that the Victorian house was impressive but she would never say so out loud, even to her friends as they sat beside her. Her mother had just pulled their silver Explorer into the already filled driveway but no one had yet to move. Amanda was in the process of saying something when a new song stared and Doug whirled around to face his daughter, turning the volume on the radio up and drowning out his angry wife.   
  
"Hey, Altessa, do you remember this song?" He questioned with a smile. "I used to sing it to you when you were little."   
  
The raven-haired teenager raised an eyebrow and listened to the music, which didn't sound familiar to her. "Do you realize that you have the most beautiful face?" Her father sang along with the band on the radio, sparking a bit of recognition as well as a slight smile. "Do you realize we're floating in space; do you realize that happiness makes you cry. Do you realize that everyone you know someday will die?"   
  
At those words, Altessa frowned slightly, brow knitting, lips pursed. Her father continued to sing, a large smile on his face, for a moment, seeing himself fourteen-years-younger, holding his three-year-old daughter, singing off-key to her. Those days were so far gone, a different life, and what felt like different people.   
  
Amanda shut off the radio quickly, returning silence to the car once again; for a moment, Doug glared at her but remained silent. "Okay, let's go inside now, if that's alright."   
  
No one said a word as they filed out of the car but the words of the song were still ringing in Altessa's ears: "Do you realize that everyone you know one day will day?" No matter how hard she tried to push them away, she found she couldn't.   
  
* * *   
  
Kimberly glanced around her, giving around a once-over, noting that there was certainly a diverse group gathered in the lawn, none of which she recognized, despite living in the area most of her life.   
  
Straight ahead of her a small group was gathered, including a semi-plump woman, who appeared to be in her mid-thirties, with brown-sugar colored hair, who was having a heated discussion with a man who was surely going on seventy and a posh, blonde woman.   
  
To her left a semi-large family exited a Explorer, the group consisting of two parents and four teenagers, who instantly parted from the parents. The bubbly blonde was already engaged in a story that was exciting to her but not to the other two, who listened with feigned interest. Kimberly continued to study the teenagers, seemingly drawn to the raven-haired female, who was the most reserved of the group.   
  
She continued to watch her until the teen looked her way and looked eyes with her. Instantly Kimberly felt as though she knew-  
  
-her from somewhere. Altessa frowned as she met eyes with the dark-eyed, dark haired stranger; she felt as though she should know who she was but her mind was completely blank when it came to placing her face. Staring at the unfamiliar woman, Altessa could tell that she was trying to place her as well.   
  
"Altessa, earth to Altessa." Her gaze shifted from the woman to Morgan, who was snapping her manicured nails in front of her face.   
  
"What?" Altessa questioned, feeling slightly agitated.  
  
Morgan frowned, shaking her head. "You should at least pretend to pay attention, Al." She chided with false anger, though she was slightly upset that her friend wasn't paying more attention to her.   
  
Altessa's boyfriend of two years, Shane Young -who was one year her senior as well as nearly parallel opposite- smiled at his girlfriend and draped his arm over her shoulder. "Right Morgan, what were you saying?" He asked with a lope-sided grin that had melted so many hearts at their high school.   
  
Morgan sighed, throwing up her hands in mock defeat. "Great, no one listens to me." She moaned. "I was saying how strange it is that our silence teacher is here." At those words, all three teenagers turned to look behind them, seeing that her words were indeed true.   
  
Miss Kristen McAnderson had been Morgan and Altessa's science teacher for two semesters and neither girl was fond of her; like most high school students, Morgan believed that teachers should only be seen in school. But there she was, surely dyed brown-sugar hair and all, standing with an old-man and a bored looking woman with a clipboard clutched her chest. But, Altessa couldn't have cared less, especially with the nagging feeling of remembrance she felt when she had locked eyes with the young brunette.   
  
Kimberly frowned when she saw the young woman vanish, mingling with the crowd around her; she was startled when Thomas appeared beside her suddenly, already telling her that she had to meet the owner of the house and real estate agent. She let herself be dragged to the group, listening with one ear to the old man with powder white hair explain why he was selling his house.   
  
She attempted to listen and nod when the time seemed right but no part of her heard Glen Harrison's words; Kimberly was still attempting to place the raven-haired girl and the feeling she had gotten when she had locked eyes with her. She sighed, wishing that she'd been able to at last talk to the teenager before Thomas had pulled her away.   
  
The blonde woman, whom Kimberly had been introduced to as Juliet Barley, sighed impatiently and cast her glance skyward, narrowing her eyes at the mass of clouds which had begun to take-over the blue sky. The wind. which had at first been a gentle breeze, had picked up a great deal of speed, the smell of rain coming with it.  
  
Juliet clapped her hands, ending Glen's explanation that the house was simply too big for him to live in, and causing everyone to look her way. "Ladies and gentlemen, let's go ahead and move into the house and start the tour." She motioned toward the Victorian as though those around her might have forgotten where they were supposed to go.   
  
Altessa followed the assorted group into the house silently, brining up the rear; on her sides were Morgan and Shane, who were carrying on a conversation about something that happened long before she was in the picture.   
  
Juliet shut the door behind the party, the slam echoing through the open house; Altessa jumped slightly and turned around the face the door, a small frown on her face. Juliet ignored her and moved toward the front again, already talking about the house's history. The teenager turned around again, taking in the architecture, the impressed feeling returning.   
  
Everything was spacious, overly so, with an excess amount of space wherever she turned her eyes; to the left of the foyer was a sweeping oak staircase, leading somewhere unknown, into darkness hidden by a curving white wall. The kitchen was directly before them, the tile floor a checkerboard of white and black, causing Altessa's head to spin. An empty, cream carpeted living room was barely visible to the right, hidden by the crisscross of oaken, western style beams and a sloping wall.   
  
It was a large house, far too empty for Altessa's liking, though she knew that it wouldn't always be so empty, filled with the possessions of the future owner but she didn't think that there would ever be enough objects to ever fully fill the void. There was too much openness, too many things could be hidden in the thousands of cracks and corners and she already had too much in her crevices to take on anymore.   
  
These thoughts she kept to herself, letting her jade eyes rove the house and the people around her, stopping on the young brunette that was off to one side, still trying to place her and finally giving up. Altessa had the feeling that she would know soon enough who she was.   
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
The song "Do You Realize" is the property of Warner Bros and The Flaming Lips. I don't know if they originally sang it or if it's even a song old enough for Altessa's father to have sung to her when she was little but it fit so I had to use it. 


	7. Chapter Seven Premontion

Okay, so I finally got another review; I told you I won't post until I got another review so here is the next chapter. And, as an author desperate for reviews, please read my other fics and "Final Destination" stories. Thanks and enjoy!   
  
Chapter Seven   
  
Premonition   
  
Kimberly found that she couldn't take her eyes off the different areas of the house; the architecture, the colors and the high sloping ceilings captured and kept her attention, everything swimming together. Beside her, Thomas was also taken by the house and as he scanned the area, let out a low whistle.   
  
"I think this is the largest house I've ever been in." He muttered to her, looking at the brunette and studying her, as though he was trying to read her thoughts.   
  
Kimberly simply nodded, a silent agreement; perhaps living in a cramped apartment for almost a year had warped her vision, making everything seem larger then in actually was. But the other people around her seemed equally awed by the size and beauty of the post Civil War house.   
  
As she wandered the large living room and entrance hall, Kimberly felt the nagging feeling return, gnawing at her gut, a cold pit wrapped around her stomach. She paused for a second but then decided to shrug the feelings off, contributing them simply to the fact that today was the one-year mark of the pileup. She wondered if she would have this feeling every year, and hoped not. And as she stared at the sweeping design of the house, Kimberly wondered what set her apart from everyone else, what supernatural law gave her the ability to see Death's design and not be able to do anything about it, constantly feeling helpless.   
  
Try as she might, Kimberly found herself unable to push the thoughts those thoughts from her mind, though she knew it was impossible. Death was never far from her mind.   
  
* * *   
  
Altessa squinted her eyes, peering into the darkness above her, running her fingers along the oaken guard rail that twisted with the stair well. As she blinked, trying to see through the din, she realized that a semi-familiar smell tickled her nose. At first she couldn't place it, though she felt as though it was familiar, but only in her dreams; it was oppressive, intoxicating and Altessa sniffed, rubbing her nose with the palm of her hand.   
  
No one else seemed to notice the smell or if they did, it didn't bother them too much. "Altessa." Her father's voice broke her reverie, taking her thoughts away from the implacable smell.   
  
Blinking again, feeling as though she had been currently in her own world, Altessa was suddenly aware of what was happening around her. The real estate agent, Juliet something-or-other, was talking to those who actually cared about the house, telling those gathered around her that, despite its location, the house was in the Mt. Abraham School District. Morgan was still rattling on, though no it sounded like she was chiding someone and, judging by the sounds of a slight quarrel coming from her boyfriend and brother's direction, Altessa figured that her friend was talking to them.   
  
The sound of shattering glass caused Altessa to whirl around and the room to go silent. As soon as Altessa turned to see what had caused the noise, the smothering smell that had before only tickled her nose now struck her in full force. It didn't take her long to figure out what it was and kicked herself for not realizing it before; the smell was gasoline, the same smell that had haunted her nightmares for the past year.   
  
For a second, everything became blurred and Altessa felt dizzy, confused, trying to figure out if she was suffering another nightmare. She closed her eyes tightly, trying to regain herself and when she opened her eyes, everything seemed normal for the moment, the smell in the back of her mind.   
  
Altessa frowned when she saw what had caused the shattering sound: a vase had broken onto the floor and standing beside the ruin were Shane and Michael, looking extremely guilty. Judging by the looks on their faces, it appeared that their little verbal quarrel had turned into something more, with the result being the broken vase. Doug began yelling at the teenagers, not only his son but Shane as well, while Amanda began apologizing profusely to anyone who would listen.   
  
The smell returned around and Altessa glanced around, realizing that no one else was paying attention to anything other then her family skeptical. Except for the woman that she still hadn't managed to place, who looked just as confused as Altessa felt. There eyes met again and the smell began even more over-powering and suddenly, more members of the assorted party began to take notice. For a moment, Altessa felt slightly reassured, knowing now that she wasn't losing her mind, that she wasn't the only one who smelt the gas.   
  
"I think there's a gas leak in this house." Someone muttered, though Altessa didn't really see who. That was a fact that she already knew, felt like she had known for a year now but hearing someone say it out loud was strange and she didn't know how to react.   
  
Outside, the wind could clearly be heard, having picked up from a gentle breeze to a strong force in just minutes. Spidery tree branches were pushed around by the wind, scraping against the windows, swaying with the live power lines that intertwined between the leafless branches.   
  
No one moved or spoke, breathing in the toxic air without meaning to, a simple, deadly, reflex. A snapping sound filled the house, coming from outside, nearly drowned out by a deafening crash; a thick, massive branch from an adjacent tree came crashing through the window, knocked lose by the wind. With it came a sparking power line, jumping amidst the branches.   
  
Altessa saw the power line, smelt the gas and suddenly knew what her nightmare had been about. But she was confused, trying to decide if it was even possible to see Death before it happened.   
  
She got her answer when the gasoline caught fire, consuming the gas filled house, followed by another deafening explosion.   
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
Okay, so this chapter was a little scattered, sorry about that. Please review and I'll post another chapter! 


	8. Chapter Eight: Cheaters

~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
So, the big event has finally happened, seven chapters in the making; sorry it took so long, but I needed to set up a little background for Altessa, as well as some for Kimberly. But, now that the premonition has happened: let the fun begin.  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
Chapter Eight   
  
Cheaters   
  
"Altessa." She opened her eyes, startled, sweat beading across her forehead, trickling down her cheeks like tears. Her heart thudded in her chest, her skin burned feverishly and she felt as though she had just awoken from a nightmare.   
  
But she hadn't, she was still in the large Victorian house, with her family, with her father calling her name.   
  
But it was just like in her nightmare; she could remember everything, standing at the stairwell, listening to her father call her name, not bothering to respond. She remembered hearing Morgan chiding her friends and Michael and Shane shattering a vase. And she remembered the real estate agent, telling her mother something about school districts...  
  
"Despite the location of the house, it's in the Mount Abraham School district." Juliet Barely was saying, to the nods of her mother and two other people gathered around her.   
  
With increasing panic, Altessa whirled around, eyes wide with fear, even more so when she realized that she was inhaling something mixed with the air: the faint smell of gasoline. Everything, down to the last detail, was exactly how things had played out only minutes before.   
  
"My God..." She whispered hoarsely, heart beginning to beat faster. She saw her brother and her boyfriend begin to argue jokingly about something, with Morgan's exasperated look and words attempting to stop them. Altessa already knew what was going to happen next and before she could blink, Michael gave Shane and semi-forceful shove and knocked him into a polished table, knocking off the vase atop it.   
  
"This can't be happening." Altessa whispered, speaking a little louder this time, though she couldn't be heard over the shouting of her father. "This house is going to explode."   
  
At those last words, she managed to draw the attention of the brunette woman, whom she had noticed outside, who was now looking at her with wide eyes. Seeing that she had at least someone's attention, Altessa knew she had to continue, knew that if they stayed in the house any longer, they would all die. "We have to get out of this house, trust me, we have to get out of here!" She shouted, gesturing toward the front of the house. Everything had happened so quickly in her "dream" that no one had time to stand around and be confused.   
  
For a second, no one moved or spoke, simply staring at the teenager. Finally, the real estate agent sighed, crossing her arms across her chest. "Young lady, this is not amusing." She said in a patronizing tone.   
  
Kimberly looked over at the teenager, who was beginning to retrace her steps toward the front door; she looked frightened, yet strangely sane. Looking at her, Kimberly realized that it had happened again; the girl had suffered a vision, just like Alex Browning, just like herself. They were all going to die if they stayed in that house.   
  
She grabbed Thomas' hand and tugged, pulling him toward the exit. "Come on, let's get out of here." She mumbled, hoping that everyone would take their cue. For once, Thomas didn't argue, didn't give her a hard time or tease her about seeing the signs. He simply followed her out of the house.   
  
Altessa gave a last pleading look at her family and everyone else in the house saying, "Please, we have to get out of this house. If we stay in here, we're going to die." When no one moved still and she knew that there was nothing she could do. If they didn't want to believe her, there was nothing she could do to save them. As Altessa headed out of the house, Morgan and Shane followed her, as did two other members of the house buying party.   
  
Amanda turned to face her husband, surprised, embarrassed and even more confused. "Donald what...?" She trailed off, letting him know that she needed his help deciding what to do. Altessa wasn't the one to joke, especially not about something like Death.   
  
"You and Michael go ahead outside and talk to her; I'm going to stay and help clean up this mess." Donald told her with a reassuring smile. He also shot his oldest child and look that told him that he was going to replacing the vase before the teenager disappeared out of the house as well.   
  
One young looking couple whispered to each other before leaving the house, hand-in-hand; a single man that didn't look much older then the other two left as well, as did Altessa and Morgan's science teacher. Donald began to apologize to the two remaining people in the house as he began to pick up the pieces of the broken vase.   
  
* * *   
  
Once outside, Altessa found that she didn't feel any better and continued to pace around the driveway, praying that her parents would leave the house; she was certain that what she had seen was true and she just wished that she could convince everyone else.   
  
Having had enough of her pacing, Shane approached his girlfriend and placed his hands on her arms, stopping her. "Altessa, what the hell is going on? What was that all about?" He asked, concern and confusion apparent upon his face. He didn't like the look he saw on the girl's face and found that he couldn't meet her eyes; she was so panicked, yet so certain, eyes slightly watery with tears.   
  
"Yeah Al, you're really freakin' me out." Morgan added, joining her friend's side. She wasn't sure what her friend was trying to pull but she knew that it couldn't be good; Altessa had been really different lately, even more then she normally was. Morgan just hoped her friend wasn't buying her ticket to an insane asylum  
  
Altessa sighed, pushing Shane's hands away from her and taking a step toward the house. For the first time, she noticed that the brunette woman and her boyfriend had joined them outside and she let her gaze linger on her for a second before turning back to face her friends. "I don't know...I don't know what happened; it was like I was dreaming and then when I woke up, everything was happening exactly the way it happened in my dream. I knew Michael and Shane were going to break the vase...everything was the same. That house is going to blow up and no one believes me!" She cried, unable to keep any control any longer. Her shoulders fell as she buried her face in her hands, trying to hold back the tears that had wanted to flow ever since she had "woken up" from her vision.   
  
From where she stood, Kimberly saw the teenage girl dissolve into tears of confusion and fear, wishing that she could comfort her, tell her that she knew exactly what she was feeling. She had heard everything that the raven-haired girl had said and knew that the past was repeating itself once again; Death's list was once again in motion and she and Thomas were now back on it. Those thoughts made her want to cry as well but she remained silent, standing beside Thomas, who had his arm around her waist. For now, all she could do was watch, though she already knew how everything was going to play out.   
  
Altessa looked up when she heard someone call her name, turning around to see her brother and mother coming toward her. She breathed a sigh of relief, rushing toward Michael and feeling slightly better. The relief nearly vanished when she realized that only two of her family members had left the house. "Michael, where's Dad?" Altessa asked, glancing back toward the house, hoping to see her father. Instead, she saw three people she didn't know and her science teacher heading toward the driveway.   
  
"He's still in the house." Michael told her, getting his sister's attention again. "Altessa what is going on?"  
  
Before she could answer, an explosion rocked the area, brining with it a wave of intense heat; Altessa was knocked to the ground by the explosion, eyes wide with fear and panic as she realized what had just happened. The house behind them had suddenly exploded, just as she had seen in her nightmare, leaving behind only wood and debris, which were propelled by the blast.   
  
Altessa's mind was racing, body in a state of panic; the only thing she could register was that everything she had seen earlier had come true and that her father was still in the house. She looked up at Michael, who had somehow managed to keep his footing during the blast; the second she looked at her older brother, she wished she hadn't.   
  
Michael was staring straight ahead, a blank, lifeless expression on his rapidly paling face; a shard of charred wood jutted through his chest, the wood no longer white, stained red with his blood. The explosion had driven the debris straight into her brother and if she hadn't fallen, it would have surely killed her too.   
  
Altessa let out a short scream as her brother's knees finally buckled, dropping the corpse onto the ground. Unable to take any more, her brain on complete overload, filled with fear, Altessa let her muscles collapse, head drop back onto the ground, her brother's lifeless body the last thing she saw before everything faded to black. 


	9. Chapter Nine: Meeting

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
Okay, so if you've read my "Premonitions" story then you'll know what I'm talking about when I start back up with the "I Love the 70's" stuff again. And for those of you who haven't read that story, here's the run down: the funniest show on T.V. is VH1's "I love the 70's", without a doubt. Those of you who have seen the show know what I'm talking about; I'm watching it now again and now they're talking about "Charlotte's Web", which I used to watch when I was younger. But, anyway, I was watching "I love 75" last night and they were talking about how it was popular to talk to your plants and Michael Ian Black was talking to his plant and then he ripped it out of the pot and it was sooo funny! Okay, sorry about that...back to something that actually has relevance: the story. Please, review, thanks!   
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
Chapter Nine   
  
Meeting   
  
Police sirens howled in her ears, her face bathed in red and blue lights, everyone talking in hushed tones. It was a scene that Kimberly had hoped never to experience again. But here she was, another lucky survivor of a freak accident.   
  
But Kimberly didn't feel lucky, didn't feel much of anything as she sat on the chipped curb, letting the scene unfold around her. She felt stupid, knowing that she should have known that there was no way to cheat Death; New Life might have been a temporary solution but it didn't keep her and Thomas off the List forever. If it had, they wouldn't have been set to die in the house explosion that had already killed four people.   
  
She and Thomas were back on Death's list, there were no two ways about it. And so she sat, watching people swarm around her, ignoring her in pursuit of more dire tasks. The Long Island Fire Department had managed to put the dying house fire and were now picking through the charred rubble. Kimberly knew that they would find the remains of three people, who were even unluckier then she was. The Coroners hovered around, waiting to cart off whatever remains they could find; one of the black body bags was already filled with the corpse of a teenage boy. Kimberly had seen what had happened to him and she knew that she would never forget that sight as long as she lived. Which, in the end, might not be so long.   
  
She sighed, scanning the area for Thomas and the teenage girl who'd had the vision; it had been her brother that had gotten killed, and her father had stayed in the house. But Kimberly couldn't see the teenager and she desperately needed to speak with her.   
  
The police officers on the scene had rounded up the survivors, trying to do some questioning. There was no use, however, speaking with Amanda Adams, who was hysterical about the death of her husband and son. Her daughter wouldn't speak at all, sitting numbly on the hood of one of the police cars, wrapped in a thick blanket, red and blue lights reflecting against her black hair. Her best friend and boyfriend stood around her, speaking and trying to comfort her but it appeared to be a lost cause, their words doing nothing to penetrate her.   
  
Thomas stood a few feet away from Altessa, talking to the head officer at the scene. In his hands, he held the report he had gathered from the assorted group of survivors, except for detailed information about the two Adams women. Not including himself and Kimberly there were eight survivors; Altessa was only sixteen and now the only child to Amanda Adams, who had no desire to talk to anyone in uniform, or anyone at all. Altessa's best friend was Morgan Richards, also sixteen and had lived in the area her whole life, as had Altessa's boyfriend, Shane Young, who had once been a football player.   
  
Kristen McAnderson was thirty-five and a teacher at the local high school, who was actually the teenagers teacher. Scott Sanders and Skye Davis were an engaged couple who had been semi-interested in buying the house. They were both young, under twenty-five and both shaken up by the explosion, especially Skye, who was nearly as hysterical as Amanda Adams. Richard Louis was a single guy in his late-twenties, who had been interesting in buying the house as a way to meet women, even though there would have been no way he could have afforded it.   
  
There was a tad bit more information in the file he held but Thomas wasn't truly concerned about the papers. Inwardly, Thomas felt slightly guilty, knowing that if he hadn't decided to take the day off from the station, then he and Kimberly would still be off Death's list. His thoughts all swarmed together but only one thought remained clear: they were back on Death's list.   
  
As he thought about those things, Thomas' gaze flicked over to Altessa, and was surprised to see her staring at him, stone faced and pale. "You know, I'm going to try and go talk to her." He said to the officer beside him, handing the file over.   
  
"Good luck, she hasn't been talking to anyone." The officer scoffed, shrugging his shoulders but doing nothing to stop him. Thomas remained silent, heading over to the teenagers, nodding his head slightly by way of a greeting.   
  
"Altessa Adams? I'm Thomas Burke, I have some questions for you if you don't mind." He began, locking eyes wit the teenager. He found that he couldn't keep her gaze, it was dark and he was unnerved by her; it was almost how he felt around Kimberly at times.   
  
Altessa didn't answer, simply continued to stare at him, arms wrapped around her knees. Her boyfriend finally stepped forward, partially standing in front of her, glaring at the police officer. "She doesn't want to talk to you, why don't you just leave her alone?" It wasn't a request it was a command.   
  
Thomas sighed, knowing that there would be no way to talk to the teenager, especially not with her boyfriend hovering around. Also, he didn't really know what questions to ask her anyway, that was more Kimberly's department. Without another word passing his lips, Thomas turned and headed toward where Kimberly was sitting, staring blankly ahead. He sat down beside the brunette, offering her a weak smile. "Are you all right?" He asked, realizing he hadn't before.   
  
Kimberly shrugged, knowing that she was okay physically but she was still unsure mentally. "I'm not sure yet." She mumbled, looking over at him. "I saw you talking to that girl..." She trailed off, waiting for him to finish the sentence.   
  
Thomas shrugged as well. "I tried but she didn't have a word for me, she's extremely shaken up." He explained, his glance shifted over to the teenager once again, who was still staring ahead, looking at nothing. Her mother had joined the group, continuing to cry as she attempted to speak with them.   
  
"She had a vision, Thomas, or whatever you want to call it." Kimberly's words caused him to return his gaze her way. Her expression was begging him to tell her that she was wrong but they both knew that he couldn't do that. Whatever had transpired in that was almost a mirror image of what had happened on the onramp a year ago. "We have to talk to her, before anyone else dies." She said, almost conversationally, as though she were speaking about the weather.   
  
Thomas didn't answer, averting his gaze; he didn't want to agree that they were back on Death's list, at least not verbally. They had been lucky the first time but that didn't mean that things would turn out the same this time around.   
  
Kimberly turned her body slightly, so that she could see Altessa, who was letting her mother pull her into a tight hug, silently sliding off the hood of the car. Quickly, Kimberly was on her feet, causing Thomas to look at her, slightly confused. "I want to talk to her before she leaves." She said, already heading toward the teenager. Thomas stood as well, but he didn't follow her, simply watched as the brunette headed across the lawn.   
  
"Excuse me! Altessa Adams!" Kimberly called, picking up her pace as she saw the group heading toward a car parked in the driveway. At her words, the group of four stopped and turned around, allowing Kimberly to catch up with them. She wasn't exactly sure where she had gotten the teenager's name from, for it had suddenly popped into her head as she approached.   
  
"Please, let me talk to you for a few minutes, it's very important." She began, already pleading.   
  
Altessa opened her mouth to reply but before she could speak, she was shoved backward by her mother, who stood in front of her like a flustered hen. "Leave my daughter alone, don't you people have any respect? Leave her alone." A fresh set of tears stopped any further words. She turned away and put her arm around her daughter's waist, leading her away.   
  
Kimberly knew she couldn't just let them leave, not without giving them a warning first; there was no telling what could happen to them on the way home. "Wait please, Altessa!" She tried again, biting her bottom lip.   
  
Altessa turned her head to look at Kimberly but let her mother lead her away. "I know what happened, I understand." She shouted, a last ditch effort to talk to the girl. There was a look of recognition, a flicker of hope, on the teenager's face and for a second, Altessa didn't look so forsaken. But before any more words could pass between them, the raven-haired girl was ushered in the car, the door shut behind her.   
  
Kimberly watched the car disappear down the street, the sun winking off its roof. She didn't look over when Thomas joined her side, staring down the empty street. "Did you talk to her?" Thomas asked after the silence settled around between them.   
  
At first, she didn't know how to answer; she and Altessa hadn't exactly spoken but they had connected, there was no denying that. "No, but I will." She told him finally, voice filled with nothing but confidence.   
  
Thomas found that he couldn't disagree. 


	10. Chapter Ten: Planning

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
Okay, so no one has reviewed this story lately but I thought I'd continue anyway because I've been working on this ever since the second movie was in theatres so I'm not just going to abandon it because I don't get any reviews (sniff) But I really, really want reviews so please.....review. And for those of you who have read the latest chapter to "Why Can't I?" my fingers are a little better so here's another chapter. Please review!  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
Chapter Ten   
  
Planning   
  
When Kimberly and Thomas finally arrived back at their apartment, neither of them were really sure what to do. The whole scene was too known, too familiar that it nearly drove Kimberly crazy, wondering why it was all happening again. She thought they had cheated death and she was dead wrong.   
  
Thomas seemed to read her thoughts, sitting down on the couch and motioning for her to join him. He put a comforting arm around her shoulders when she sat down, gently kissing the crown of her head. "Why is this happening again?" Kimberly believed it was the first time any of them had spoken those words out loud. She glanced over at Thomas, who continued, "I thought new life stopped Death."   
  
Kimberly didn't answer and didn't know how to; she simply stared straight ahead, her thoughts whirling around in her head. "I don't know..." She trailed off, sighing deeply and lowering her head. She didn't understand why she hadn't seen the explosion in the house, why she had seemingly lost her powers of premonition. Then Kimberly remembered smelling the gasoline in the apartment yesterday, it had been a sign after all. And the Chinese food-chop sticks from her dinner alone, they had been a sign too, only a more subtle one, spelling out the first letter of the first name of the visionary. Perhaps if she had been more open to the signs, she and Thomas wouldn't have be back on Death's list.   
  
"But I do know that if we can find the girl that had the premonition, we can figure out a way to beat Death once and for all." Kimberly added, feeling more assured now despite her guilty feelings. "We have to find Altessa Adams."   
  
Thomas looked at her, brows knitting together in confusion. "Wait, how do you know her name?" He didn't recall ever saying it or Kimberly ever asking what the teenager's name was.   
  
The brunette turned her head to look at him, just as confused as he. "What? I don't know, I'm sure I heard it from you." She told him, not really understanding the significance of such a question. Thomas nodded once but he didn't look as though he really believed her but at least he kept silent about it. Sometimes, she felt as though he viewed her as some...supernatural freak, someone to be wary of or even feared. But Thomas never said anything and never left her so Kimberly never asked him about, never pressed the subject and always remained thankful for those small miracles.   
  
Thomas nodded again and pushed the thoughts away as well. "Well, I could call everyone down to the station for questioning and you could talk to her then." He suggested, causing Kimberly to smile slightly.   
  
"See, that's one of the perks of dating a police officer." Kimberly said, giving him a gentle kiss before standing up.   
  
Thomas watched as she disappeared into the bathroom, shutting the door behind her; the silence in the apartment was suddenly filled by the sound of the shower running. With a sigh, he turned and faced the television, intent on seeing the news coverage for the accident. He figured he'd better enjoy the semi-mundane hours before everything turned completely upside down.   
  
* * *   
  
Altessa wasn't surprised when she couldn't sleep, even though she hadn't gotten any sleep the previous night. She paced around the living room, which was completely shrouded in darkness, listening to her mother's strangled sobs drifting in from her bedroom. Her mother hadn't spoken more then three words to her since they had gotten home, looking at her like she was the one that had caused the accident in the first place. All Amanda cared about was that her husband and son were dead, Altessa might not have even existed.   
  
But Altessa was used to being ignored by her mother, though this time it seemed to carry extra weight. She didn't understand why she had seen what she had and she had lost her father and brother too.   
  
Finally, she gave up pacing and dropped onto the couch, pulling the worn quilt around her body even though she wasn't cold. Altessa grabbed the television remote and began flipping through channels, pausing when she saw a news report about the house explosion. One news reporter was talking to a police officer, who was explaining that they believed that a gas leak had triggered the explosion.   
  
"Among the survivors of the freak accident are Kimberly Corman and Thomas Burke, who were the sole survivors of the pile up on Highway 23 exactly one year ago. The police reports from that time report that Corman had a vision of the pileup though nothing of that sort has been reported yet. However, police are investigating any foul play on Corman and Burke's part, though they are highly pessimistic of finding anything to tie them into the accident.   
  
"Amongst those lost in the accident are real estate agent, Juliet Barley and the elderly owner of the house, Glen Harrison. High profile lawyer Donald Adams was also lost, as was his teenage son, Michael, who was killed after the explosion, impaled by a shard of wood from the house."   
  
Altessa clicked off the television when they showed an old photo of her father, shutting her eyes tightly. She didn't understand why people had to drag out a person's pain and loss by making everyone experience it.   
  
She remembered reading an article about Kimberly Corman the day before, that was why she had recognized the woman earlier in the day. The report had said that Kimberly had had a vision, seen the pileup before it happened, just like she had seen the house explosion.   
  
Perhaps talking with Kimberly would finally help her understand what had happened. Thinking those thoughts finally helped her drift into a restless sleep. 


	11. Chapter Eleven: The Design

Chapter Eleven   
  
The Design   
  
As usual, Kimberly was awake and toasting waffles before Thomas had even gotten out of bed, the curse of being a morning person adding to the fact that she had been awake most the night. Around five thirty that morning, she had realized that it would do her no good and quietly she had made her way into the living room. She had watched an infomercial about an exercise machine and then watched the beginning of the six o'clock news to see if there would be anything about the house explosion. She was stunned to hear that police were intent on investigating her and Thomas, feeling that the fact that they had survived two freak accidents made them suspects for foul play. There wasn't anything about Altessa Adams, nor any mention of a premonition, aside from the knowledge that she had been rumored to have predicted the pileup.   
  
So when Thomas finally dragged himself out of bed on that cloudy Sunday morning, Kimberly had already made an entire box of waffles (she burnt the first two) and a pot of coffee. "Aren't you the early bird." Thomas remarked tiredly, kissing her on the cheek before sitting down. "Couldn't sleep huh?"   
  
Kimberly shook her head sheepishly, sitting down beside him and picking up a cooling waffle. "No, I've been thinking about Altessa all night; we need to figure out the order of the Design so we know what to look out for." She told him, face etched with concern. They had no idea who was supposedly to die next, for all she knew, it could be her, it could be Thomas, it could even be Altessa.   
  
"Right, I'll make the calls to the station and set the whole thing up." Thomas nodded, taking a sip of coffee and standing up, heading for the cordless phone on the counter.   
  
Kimberly mulled about the whole ordeal for the moment and then turned to face the police officer, pursing her lips. "Altessa's mother is very protective, she didn't want me to speak to her daughter; make sure you keep her busy long enough for me to talk to her." She added, brushing her brown hair behind her ears.   
  
Thomas nodded once, motioned for her to be silent as he began speaking into the mouth piece of the phone, arranging for the officer on duty to call the Adams and bring them down to the station. "Even if Mrs. Adams resists, don't let her, make sure she comes down, it's very important." He reiterated as he hung up, turning around to face his girlfriend.   
  
"It's all set. Ready to jump into the fray?" He questioned with a slight smile, raising an eyebrow.   
  
Kimberly couldn't help but smile as well, feeling a slight burn lifted off her shoulders at the thought of taking the first step to beating Death. "Let's go." She stood as well, grabbing her kaki jacket off the hook by the door and slipped it over her shoulders.  
  
Thomas followed her out, kissing the top of her forehead and taking her hand in his. Once again, they were going to need to rely on each other to get through the ordeal ahead of them. Neither of them wanted to go through alone.   
  
* * *   
  
The car ride to the police station was completely silent; Altessa didn't want to open her mouth to speak and her mother appeared not to want to hear her words. The gap that had separated mother and daughter before had grown into a canyon and neither of them were quite sure what to do about it.   
  
Twenty minutes earlier Amanda had received a phone call from the local police station, asking her and her daughter to come for some follow up questions and after much persistence, Amanda had finally relented. Altessa had been slightly eager to go as well, feeling as though it was important that she did so; the police officer's insistence that she come as well only confirmed that fact.   
  
And now here they were, the only surviving members of the Adams family, riding along in silence like complete strangers. Finally, unable to take anymore, Altessa turned her head so that she was looking at her mother. "Mom, why won't you talk to me?" She questioned, not exactly sure she wanted an answer.   
  
Amanda pursed her lips, appearing as though she was straining to remain calm. "Altessa, don't do this." She mumbled, almost inaudible but her daughter still heard her words, and she wasn't satisfied by them.   
  
"I didn't cause it Mom, I didn't make that house explode. I tried to warn Dad, I tried to get him out-" The teenager pressed, wanting to get her mother to verbally acknowledge that fact.   
  
"That's enough Altessa!" Amanda cried, looking as though she was preparing to strike the teen but instead slammed her palms on the steering wheel. Altessa didn't even wince, staring at her mother with a slightly confused gaze.   
  
There was silence in the car once again, Altessa and Amanda both stared through the windshield, understanding now why the silence was so important.   
  
* * *   
  
Thomas was waiting in the front of the station house when the Adams' car pulled into the parking lot, among the collection of police cruisers. Kimberly was no where in sight, having disappeared minutes earlier in search of a soda machine, which now left Thomas slightly uncomfortable, unsure of what to do. He did know, however, that Kimberly wanted to talk only with Altessa so he decided it would be best to get the elder Adams away for a while.   
  
Altessa met his eyes as she walked through the sliding doors, a hint of recognition on her features; there was no doubt in Thomas' mind that the girl knew exactly who he was but she did a very good job of hiding it. The tension, however, was palpable between the two women and he figured that mother and daughter didn't quite get along. He was also very aware that Amanda didn't want to be there but Altessa actually seemed relieved to see him.   
  
Thomas cleared his throat and attempted to seem business-like, approaching Amanda. "Thank you, Mrs. Adams for coming down here, there's just a few follow-up questions I need you to answer then you can be on your way." He assured the woman, who simply narrowed her eyes at him.   
  
"This better be very important, I have two funerals to plan." She snapped, causing Thomas to frown as well, pursing his lips slightly.   
  
He nodded once, attempting to appear unfazed. "It'll only take a few minutes." He repeated, turning around to face Altessa, who was looking at him as though waiting for directions. "You can wait out here." He told her, and the raven-haired girl sat down on a bench, watching her mother and the police officer disappear down the hallway.   
  
Altessa stared out the glass doors, watching the clouds mass together in the sky, signaling rain. She heard the soles of someone's shoes click down the hallway but she didn't even turn to acknowledge the noise.   
  
Kimberly turned the corner, a soda in her hand, and saw Altessa sitting alone on a wooden bench, staring blankly ahead of her. She could hear a pair of voices, one of them Thomas' and she knew that she would have to talk to the girl fast. She knew that Altessa's mother probably wouldn't be too happy if she caught them talking.   
  
"Altessa Adams?" Kimberly asked, though she already knew the answer to the question, crossing the gap between them and standing to the teen's right, setting down her soda can. The younger girl gave no sign that she even heard her, continuing to stare in front of her.   
  
Finally, Altessa turned her head in Kimberly's direction, jade-eyes locking with the brunette's blue ones. "Yes?" She mumbled softly, though Kimberly knew it was a start, at least she wasn't ignoring her.  
  
Kimberly sat down on the bench next to the teenager, drawing her attention even more. "Look, I was just wondering if I could talk to you for a second?" She asked, hoping for an affirmative answer.   
  
Altessa didn't answer for a second, though she continued to look at the brunette. "You're Kimberly Corman, I saw your picture in the paper." She said after another second's pause, causing the brunette to frown slightly.   
  
Kimberly felt slightly confused, though she figured that she shouldn't be surprised by the girl's recognition; she had been in the papers a lot but she had wanted to believe that the 'connection' they had shared the previous day was more then remembrance from a news article. "Right. Look-" She was unable to finish what she had started to say because Altessa jumped in with a question of her own.   
  
"You were there yesterday." Altessa stated simply, staring at her. "You said you understood."   
  
Kimberly nodded once, feeling as though she was on the brink of something, anything. "Altessa, I do-" She tried again, not angry that she had been interrupted the first time. The teenager was only making it easier for her to explain.   
  
"How do you know my name?" Altessa asked, brow knitting with confusion and interest. It didn't occur to her that perhaps Kimberly had heard her name on the news or perhaps from her police officer boyfriend but it didn't seem as though that was where she had gotten her information.   
  
A smile slightly graced the brunette's face and she raised an eyebrow. "Because I understand." Kimberly told her, feeling relief course through her when the teenager looked relieved as well. She had been worried that Altessa wasn't going to believe her or that she would be unwilling to help her see the signs and beat the Design. But now it looked like that wasn't going to be the case.   
  
"What happened to me? I don't understand, everything happened just like I saw. What's going on?" Altessa asked, face creasing with worry.   
  
Kimberly knew what the girl was feeling all too well. "What I'm going to tell you might be hard to understand but you have to believe me, because everything I say it true. Did you hear about the explosion of Flight 180 two years ago?" She asked, locking eyes with Altessa.   
  
The teenager nodded once, slowly, pursing her lips. "I think so, what does that have to do with anything?" Altessa questioned, knitting her eyebrows.   
  
Kimberly took a deep breath, attempting to sort her thoughts out before speaking. "Alex Browning, who was on the plane, had a vision of the plane exploding and then it did. He got six people off the plane and slowly they all died in freak accidents. The thing is, the 'survivors' all died in the order that they were supposed to die in the plane.   
  
"Last year, I had a vision like his, I predicted the pileup on Highway 23. It was exactly a year after the Flight 180 explosion and yesterday was the two year anniversary. Are you following me?" Kimberly paused, staring at Altessa, who had been listening silently.   
  
Altessa nodded once, pursing her lips. "I think so; what you're saying is you had a vision about an accident that would have killed you..." She trailed off, letting Kimberly finish the sentence.   
  
"Right, I was supposed to die in that pileup with everyone else but because I didn't, Death basically came back to get me and my friends." Kimberly finished, agreeing quickly. Altessa had caught on quickly, as all the visionaries seemed to do; it was convincing everyone else that was going to be the problem.   
  
Altessa frowned, gaze ticking past Kimberly, staring blankly again. With Altessa believing her on the whole 'Death is stalking us' topic, Kimberly knew there was only one thing left to figure out: the Design. "This is extremely important Altessa: in what order did the people die in your vision?"   
  
Silence took over the hallway after Kimberly finished speaking; Altessa closed her eyes, trying to recall her painful vision. All she saw was a blinding explosion and it caused her to open her eyes quickly. "Wait...in my vision...everyone died at once, there was no order." She told the brunette, looking confused and guilty, as though she had betrayed Kimberly by not remembering.   
  
Kimberly frowned, feeling her face pale as she heard the teenager's words. "No order." She muttered under her breath, so silently that Altessa didn't even hear her. She couldn't bring herself to say anything else and was only broken out of her reverie by the sound of Thomas' voice, coming closer to them.   
  
Thomas and Amanda slipped into the lobby, Thomas trying to say something, though it was clear that Amanda wasn't listening. When she saw her daughter sitting next to Kimberly, Amanda frowned, narrowing her eyes slightly. "Let's go Altessa." She commanded, feeling angry at the sight of the brunette, as though she had been the one to cause all of their grief.   
  
Altessa frowned, looking from her mother to Kimberly, who was also looking slightly upset. They had yet to talk about everything in detail, had yet to figure out how they were going to beat Death once and for all. "But Mom, I need-" Altessa began but Amanda cut her off.   
  
"Now, Altessa." Amanda commanded sternly, walking over to her daughter and grabbing her arm, pulling her off the bench.   
  
Kimberly stood as well, needing to make sure that she made the teenager understand that they needed to talk again. "Altessa, I'll talk to you later." She whispered, hoping that Amanda wouldn't hear.   
  
But she had no such luck; Amanda let go of her daughter's arm and whirled around to face the brunette. "I think it would serve you best to stay away from my daughter; I don't know who you are but if I catch you with my daughter, I will have you arrested." She whispered fiercely.   
  
Kimberly stepped back, slightly surprised. Altessa stepped forward and pulled her mother away from the brunette, glaring at the woman. "Mom, leave her alone." She sounded just as fierce as her mother, though her physical appearance carried extra weight.   
  
Without further conversation, the Adams women left the station, leaving Thomas and Kimberly alone once again. With the two of them gone, the weight of Altessa's words hit Kimberly once again and she dropped back down onto the bench, staring ahead blankly.   
  
There was no Design. That meant that any one of them could be next and they had no idea of knowing who it was until it was too late. The desperation of the whole situation increased and she felt closer to giving up now then she had before.   
  
"So, did you figure out the order?" The way Thomas asked told her that he really was afraid to know the answer, afraid to know when his time would be up.  
  
Kimberly shook her head, looking up at him. "No, there is no Design. We have no idea of knowing who's next to die." She told him, feeling her heart begin to beat in her chest.   
  
As those words began to sink in, fear began to take over both of them. For the first time yet, Kimberly began to wonder if it was possible to beat Death at all. 


	12. Chapter Twelve: Never Sleep, Never Die

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
Wow, this is the first time I've had a review for this story before one for "Why Can't I?", that's good stuff. Thanks to the person who reviewed, I'm glad everyone is taking such an interest in my story. Here's yet another chapter and Design is going to be in motion in the next chapter or two. Thanks again!  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
Chapter Twelve   
  
Never Sleep, Never Die   
  
Stone-faced, Amanda turned to glare at her daughter just as the car slid into the cluttered garage; the sides of the vehicle brushed against rusting metal shelves which contained the gardening tools that Amanda used to tend to her garden when the mood was in her. Altessa pretended not to notice that her mother was looking at her but she made no move to get out of the car.   
  
"Was that woman harassing you because if she was then-" Amanda started, but Altessa could see through her concerned mother act.   
  
"She wasn't harassing me, Mother, we were just talking." Altessa snapped shortly, wishing that she was back in the police station with Kimberly, or anywhere but in the car with her mother. She had felt like Kimberly had understood her, had actually cared; she hadn't felt that feeling in a long while.   
  
Amanda didn't seem too pleased by this answer and she continued to press on, unaware that she was pushing her daughter even farther away. "I don't want you talking to her again, understand me?" She commanded, forcing her daughter to look at her.   
  
"At least she talks to me." Altessa snapped, narrowing her eyes at the woman. "What do you have against her anyway?" She questioned, honestly interested in what her mother would say.   
  
She wasn't surprised when Amanda didn't have an answer and she didn't wait around for one; Altessa undid her seatbelt and slipped out of the car, slamming the door behind her and ignoring her mother's commands for her to "get back here this instant!"   
  
Altessa rushed into the kitchen, opened one of the bottom cabinet drawers, one not used for cooking utensils of any kind and pulled out the worn phone book. "Please...please." She mumbled to herself, tossing the pages back in a fury as she searched through the book.   
  
Just as her mother came bargaining into the kitchen, already screaming at the teenager, Altessa stood up and tore a page from the book. She didn't even look at her mother as she brushed past her, rushing from the kitchen and the house, running down the sidewalk.   
  
Amanda considered going after her daughter and wasn't exactly sure what kept her in the kitchen. She crossed to the phonebook, picking it up and seeing that the COL-COR page had been torn out. With a scream of rage and grief, Amanda threw the book across the kitchen and silently dropped to the kitchen floor, hating herself for being inwardly glad that her daughter was out of the house.   
  
* * *   
  
Kimberly and Thomas had just arrived home when they heard a incessant knock on their apartment door. Thinking it to be one of their bothersome neighbors, Thomas grudgingly agreed to answer it and was surprised when he saw who was standing on the other side.   
  
"I know this is weird and a surprise and all of that but...can I come in?" Asked Altessa Adams, staring up at the surprised police officer with wide eyes, speaking in volumes the pain and fear that she was feeling.   
  
Thomas stepped aside, allowing the sweat-streaked teenager to enter, brushing her long black hair behind her shoulders and taking a deep breath. It was clear that she had run from her own house, wherever that may be and was only now feeling the fatigue taking over.   
  
Motioning for Altessa to sit on the couch, Thomas slipped into the kitchen, where Kimberly was searching through the refrigerator for something to eat. "Kimberly, you'll never believe who's here." He whispered to her, bending done so that they were both looking into the refrigerator.   
  
Kimberly blinked, looking over at him with a look of confusion on her face. "Who?" She questioned, though she felt like she already knew what his answer would be. She knew that when she and Altessa had parted ways in the police station that it was going to be the last time that she had to hunt the teenager down. From then on, Altessa would find her.   
  
"Altessa." Thomas answered, though from the way he spoke, he seemed to know that Kimberly knew what he was going to say.   
  
They both stood, Kimberly closing the refrigerator, both turning to face the living room; Altessa sat silently on the couch, staring down at the floor, ignoring everything else around her.   
  
She only looked up when Kimberly and Thomas entered the living room, sitting down on either side of the teenager. Even though she wanted to say so many things, Kimberly remained silent and waiting for Altessa to say the first sentence.   
  
Finally, Altessa locked eyes with the brunette and said, "I need to understand, I need to hear more. It feels like you're the first person for as long as I can remember that actually...understands..." She trailed off, looking sheepish but trying hard not to appear that way.   
  
Kimberly nodded once, a slight smile on her face. "I do understand." She muttered simply, glancing over at Thomas out of the corner of her eye. "We have to figure out how to beat the Design." It seemed like jumping right into the most pressing topic would serve them best. That was, after all, why Altessa had come in first place.   
  
Altessa blinked once. "But I thought there was no Design, since everyone died at once." She pointed out, cocking her head slightly.   
  
"Well, there's no set Design but that doesn't mean that we can't figure one out." Kimberly said, though she didn't really believe what she was saying. The only way to make a Design would be to write down the order that everyone died in, unable to save them until it was far too late. Both Thomas and Altessa seemed to sense this was the case but neither of them said anything, waiting for Kimberly to continue. "We all have to look out for the signs but you especially Altessa." She continued, waiting for Altessa's nod of understanding.   
  
"Signs? What signs?" Altessa questioned instead, knitting her eyebrows. She felt like she should know what the brunette was talking about but she honestly had no idea what her words were supposed to mean.   
  
"Signs...like something completely ironic, something so out of the blue that it's just got to mean something." Thomas answered before the brunette had the chance to, though he looked at her to elaborate. She always understood those sort of things much better then he did and knew it was best to leave such explanations to Kimberly.   
  
Kimberly nodded, smiling slightly at her police officer boyfriend. "Right, an in your face kinda irony." She added, quoting the words that Clear had told a year ago. "Like seeing the house explosion but on a much smaller scale; a reflection of pigeons where there are none, a shadow creating something other then what's making the shadow, that sort of thing."   
  
Altessa nodded quickly, understanding and knowing why she felt like she should. "Like the songs on the radio?" She questioned, thinking back to the previous when her father had asked her if she remembered a song from her childhood. She had felt like it had been trying to tell her something and she mentally kicked herself for not realizing it until just now.   
  
"Right." Kimberly nodded, seeming to sense the girl's turmoil. "You can't ignore those things, they could mean the difference between life and death."   
  
With a sigh, Altessa dropped against the back of the couch, not meeting the eyes of either of the people sitting beside her. "I don't understand, why is this even happening to me? Why did I see the explosion before it happened?"   
  
That was a question Kimberly had asked herself more then once but still hadn't found an explanation. "I don't know, I still haven't figured that out yet. But I know that if we work together we can beat Death once and for all. There has to be a way." She said, speaking out of desperation and praying that she was right.   
  
"But how? We don't even know who's going to die next." Altessa asked, trying to ignore the hopelessness she heard in Kimberly's voice. She had to believe that Kimberly knew what she was talking about and knew enough to get them all through it, because she sure as hell didn't.   
  
Kimberly didn't have an answer for the teenager, who simply closed her eyes tightly, before opening them again. "Every time I shut my eyes I always see the explosion or my brother...Death before my eyes." She muttered the last part, as though she didn't even understand herself what she was talking about. "I'm so scared." She confided, looking up at Kimberly and Thomas.   
  
Kimberly rested a reassuring hand on the teenager's shoulder, wordless saying that she felt the exact same way. "We're going to beat this." This time she spoke with more conviction.   
  
"Altessa, have you ever heard the expression..." Thomas began, pausing to collect his thoughts. "Never sleep-"   
  
Altessa cut him off before he could finish the sentence, knowing exactly what he was talking about. Blankly she muttered, "Never die."   
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
Okay, so the title and a few of the words from this chapter (actually, only Altessa's words near the very end) come from the Evanescence song "Whisper." Evanescence is the best band ever, no joke, you guys need to go out and buy their CD right now; how fitting that they were just on MTV's "Hard Rock Live" as I was writing this chapter. Okay, anyway, please review and expect more soon! 


	13. Chapter Thirteen: Belief

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
Thank you so much for the reviews, I'm glad to know that everyone is so interested; I've been working very hard on this story, and the Death's as well. I hope no one is disappointed with the way I kill my characters, I tried not to repeat anything close to the Deaths from the first two movies. Anyway, here's the next chapter; I'll try and post two at once, as requested from my latest reviewer but as I write this it's like ten o'clock and I got up at seven so I don't know if I will be able to finish this one chapter, let alone two. So, if there's only one chapter come update time, you'll know why. Anyway, review and proceed!   
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
Chapter Thirteen   
  
Belief   
  
For hours, Kimberly, Thomas and Altessa talked, never moving from their spots on the couch, trying to figure out a way to scratch out a Design of some kind and learn how to stop Death once and for all. Despite all their hours of talking, they were still empty handed when Altessa finally sighed, leaning back against the couch and seeming to deflate, shoulders and head sagging.   
  
Kimberly looked at the teenager, feeling as tired as the girl looked. "Okay, this is pointless, we're all too tired to think right now." She remarked, eyes fluttering closed for a second before snapping open again. She was tired but she didn't know if she was quite prepared for sleep just yet.   
  
"It's not like we've gotten anywhere anyway. We don't know who's going to die, anyone could be next..." Altessa mumbled, looking over at the brunette, face awash with fear and confusion. "Someone else could be dead for all we know."   
  
Those words caused everyone to be silent, dwelling about the truth that had just be spoken. "We're going to figure this out, we have to figure this out." Kimberly mumbled, squeezing her fingers into tight fists, feeling her nails digging into her flesh. She had fought so hard to understand before and now, everything that she had learned wasn't doing them any good...the order, the Design...New Life. Why hadn't New Life worked, why hadn't she defeated Death? She shouldn't be thinking about this right now; she was entitled to a normal life, a normal life with Thomas and her future ahead of her. This wasn't right.   
  
But it wasn't right that Altessa, who was much younger then she, was having to experience the same thing; she was going through the same confusion and fear that Kimberly was suffering and perhaps more, having lost her brother and father. 'She might as well have lost her mother,' Kimberly thought, thinking back on what Altessa had told them about her mother, how she appeared not to care. 'But she doesn't know how lucky she really is,' Kimberly thought, chewing on her bottom lip, 'what I wouldn't give to have my mother here...'  
  
Thoughts like that would do her no good, especially now when she needed to be thinking about how to defeat Death and save them all. She could tell Altessa and Thomas were trying desperately to think as well, but their brains were all on over-load, there was nothing more they could do tonight.   
  
"We will figure this out," Thomas assured her, placing his hand on her shoulder and giving her a slight smile. "We just can't think anymore tonight."   
  
Altessa looked over at her, pursing her lips. "I don't think I can do this...Defeat Death...I have no idea what to do." She confessed, feeling as though she had already spoken the fears and knowing that she had, though she wasn't quite sure if she had said them verbally or not. She had repeated those concerns in her head over and over, telling herself that if everyone was counting on her to figure out how to save them, then they were all doomed.   
  
"There has to be a way, we were so close last time. Don't worry Altessa, we can do it together..." Kimberly assured the teenager, who stared at her, filled with hope and fear. "We don't know who's next to die but we can watch the Signs for clues, anything that's out of the ordinary, a complete irony."   
  
Altessa nodded once. "Right, the signs." She repeated, mumbling underneath her breathe, making a mental note for herself. The Signs, she would definitely look for them but she worried that she wouldn't be able to read them, to understand what they were trying to tell her.   
  
"And your friends, Altessa, you could tell them, make sure they understand and watch too." Thomas added, causing both women to look his way. Kimberly smiled slightly, surprised that she hadn't thought of that before; that was just further proof that they needed each other to be this thing.   
  
The teenager nodded. "Right, I can tell Morgan and Shane and I can go to school tomorrow to make sure they're okay. And I can watch my science teacher, it'll be the easiest way to watch them." She remarked, though she was quite sure that she was up to going to school. But she knew that she couldn't let Morgan and Shane die, not when there was something she could do to keep them alive.   
  
"Good idea. We'll try and contact the other survivors, warn them as well." Kimberly added looking over at Thomas for conformation. The low-rung officer nodded his agreement, ready to do whatever Kimberly suggested.  
  
Altessa glanced down at the floor, giving the brunette a little half nod to show that she also agreed with her words. Kimberly stood up and headed over to the cluttered desk pressed against the wall; she dug through a pile of books, papers and other odd stuff. Finally, she pulled out two black cell phones that Thomas recognized as the cell phones they had given to Kat and Rory the day before they were killed. She handed one of the cell phones to Altessa, who took it with a look of confusion.   
  
"Okay, so we'll use these cell phones to keep in touch; if Thomas and I see any Signs, we'll give you a call and vice versa." Kimberly explained, swapping numbers with the teenager before Altessa slipped the phone into her pocket.   
  
"Right," Altessa agreed, standing up as well and heading toward the front door. The three said their goodbyes, and Kimberly watched the teenager until she disappeared, her safety now out of her hands.   
  
* * *   
  
When Altessa arrived back at her house, she was surprised to find that Morgan was there as well, sitting on the front stoop, her chin in her hands. When she saw her friend, Morgan leapt to her feet, starting across the yard toward her. "Where have you been? Your mother called me and said that you had run away. Altessa, what's going on?" She asked, her words coming out in a rush.   
  
Altessa took a deep breath, knowing that now was as good a time as any to explain the Design and Signs to her friend. "Look, that doesn't matter; what does matter is that you listen to ever thing I have to say and believe me." She started, leading her friend back to the stoop and sitting down.   
  
"Altessa, what's going on?" Morgan asked, narrowing her eyes, a little upset but even more confused. And a little frightened, though she wasn't sure why. Sure, her friend had acted a little strangely before, but it was nothing compared to the way she was acting right now.   
  
"That's what I'm trying to explain to you if you'd just be quiet and listen." Altessa snapped, fed up with her friend's interruptions. This was a matter of life and death, she didn't have time to answer petty questions. "I was talking with Kimberly Corman, you know, the woman that predicted the pile-up last year?" Altessa made the mistake of pausing for a brief second, which was exactly when Morgan butted in.   
  
"Yeah, I remember but what does she have to do with anything? Altessa, everyone says she's crazy, with all that death stuff." Morgan snapped, put off by Altessa's command seconds earlier. Had her friend finally lost it? She'd had more encounters with Death then she had...had it finally pushed Altessa over the edge?   
  
Altessa let out a long sigh, gritting her teeth. "She's not crazy...God, would you just listen to me? This is important! We're all going to die unless you pay attention to what I have to say, god-damnit!" Altessa shouted, unsure of where the outburst had come from. All the pent up and anger and fear that she felt was finally making itself known. Now, however, was not a good time to have a breakdown.   
  
The raven-haired girl's shout had worked, surprising her friend and thus, quieting her down. Altessa knew now was her chance to explain. "Look, when Kimberly predicted the pile-up, she intervened and she and some other people cheated Death. Because they cheated Death, they broke the Design, which wasn't a good thing and Death went after them, because it was their time to die.  
  
"When I saw the house explosion, the same thing happened. Because we didn't die in the explosion like we were supposed to, we cheated Death. But, Death is coming back to get us, we're going to die. But Kimberly says that we can cheat Death, but we have to look for the Signs..." Altessa was speaking quickly, trying to get all her thoughts out, making sure she didn't forget anything. But Morgan had heard enough.   
  
"God, Altessa, enough of this shit. I can't believe you actually bought into that? Death coming back to get us? That's nuts." Morgan snapped, ignoring the slightly pained look her friend shot her. She didn't want to admit that Altessa's words actually gave her the creeps and she definitely wouldn't admit that she wanted to believe her. It was too crazy to consider, the sort of thing that made you end up in a mental institution.   
  
Altessa paused, frowning, forehead creasing; she had hoped that Morgan would believe her, after all, they were best friends. "No, it's not crazy, it's completely true. Michael died in a freak accident, just like the survivors of the pileup and Flight 180. We're all going to die, unless we work together and look for the Signs, that's the only way we can cheat Death again. You have to believe me." She pleaded, begging her friend with her jade eyes.   
  
Morgan shook her head, standing up and turning around to face her friend. "No, Altessa, you're crazy, all right? You're fucking nuts." Morgan snapped, feeling a deep chill running through her body. She turned on her heel and rushed away from her friend, running down the driveway.   
  
Everything inside of her told her that she needed to believe Altessa, that her friend was telling her the truth. She was going to die. But it was crazy, she was only sixteen, she couldn't die.   
  
Altessa leapt to her feet, watching her friend. "No, Morgan! You have to believe me, watch for the Signs." She called after her, a last desperate attempt to reach her friend. But Morgan was gone, disappearing around the corner.   
  
Morgan could be the next to die, she had no idea of knowing if she was ever going to see her friend again. But she did know one thing: she had to watch for the Signs, she had to keep her eyes open for any hints.   
  
She had to believe.   
  
  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
Okay, so, this chapter was kinda lame but I figured I should put it in anyway; as for the curse words,  
  
I just felt like cussing today...and this is Final Destination after all. The next chapter will be longer,   
  
and will contain the first Death...ooh, bet you're getting excited now (just kidding...) Random fact: I'm  
  
watching "Final Destination" right now; I love this movie! Good stuff, good stuff. Not to offen anyone but,   
  
I really hate the French language; it's very hard to speak and understand...it's the Devil's language. It   
  
makes sense that the plane exploded when it was heading to France. Okay, sorry for that outbrust (it comes  
  
from the fact that I'm probably failing French class) and I hope I didn't offend anyone. More coming soon,   
  
look for an update later today or tomorrow. 


	14. Chapter Fourteen: Chemistry Lesson

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
Okay, now the moment we've all been waiting for: the first (well, second really) Death. Yay! Okay anyway...thanks for all the reviews, I'm glad everyone likes my idea of not having an order. Here's another chapter, please review!  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
Chapter Fourteen   
  
Chemistry Lesson   
  
Altessa had waited for the little black phone to ring but it had remained silent; all of the previous night the phone was silent and that was true even now, as she pocketed it, heading downstairs with her school books in hand. She figured she should be relieved that the phone hadn't rang but she didn't like not being in touch with Kimberly. What if something had happened to her? Or Thomas?   
  
As the teenager entered the kitchen she made up her mind to call Kimberly around second period if she hadn't heard from the brunette. Altessa stepped over to the kitchen table and set her books and notebooks down upon the surface, looking around the area. Her mother was moving about the kitchen silently, lighting candles; it was something Amanda did whenever she wanted to remember someone. Two years ago when the family dog had died, the house had been filled with candles. And last year, Altessa remembered seeing the flickering lights.   
  
Now was no exception; the kitchen was filled with candles, set on every available surface, flickering in remembrance of the deceased Adams men. The candles made Altessa nervous and she realized how much could happen if one of the candles tipped over. She opened her mouth to tell this worry to her mother but realized that Amanda wouldn't listen anyway and might take her words of warning the wrong way.   
  
A breeze flittered through the kitchen, causing the candle flames to waiver; Altessa watched them out of the corner of her eye, warily, turning around to face her mother. Her hip jostled the table and knocked the top notebook off the stack; it toppled onto the floor and scattered the loose papers she had inside. Altessa bent down to gather up her homework papers, stuffing them into the notebook. She fingers brushed against her chemistry homework, which was swept away by the breeze, suddenly more powerful, before she could grab it.   
  
Altessa watched as the paper was pushed upward, stopping only when it made contact with her mother's pillar candle, causing the sheet to catch fire. The paper was nothing but ashes in a few seconds, burning faster then Altessa would have guessed; the ashes scattered on the counter.  
  
Amanda turned around to face her daughter, not having seen the damage caused by her candles. "Are you going to school today?" She questioned, looking as though she didn't care one way or another if she daughter ran away from home.   
  
Altessa nodded once, narrowing her eyes at the ashes on the counter, trying to decide if the homework catching on fire was a sign. If it was, she couldn't figure out what it meant; it had been her Chemistry homework, which was a branch off the science subject, which Kristen McAnderson had taught her a year ago. Kristen was on the Design, perhaps the "Sign" had something to do with her. But she wasn't sure how Chemistry would figure in; when she had had Kristen, she'd taught Physical Science, not Chemistry.   
  
There was silence in the kitchen and Altessa debated calling Kimberly and explaining the recent events, but she wasn't exactly sure what that was going to prove. It couldn't have been a Sign; her homework had simply caught on fire because of bad luck, that stuff did happen. Altessa gathered up her books again and headed out of the kitchen, casting a last fleeting glance at her mother. "Bye Mom." She mumbled, hoping for some spark of motherly instinct to appear.   
  
Amanda said nothing, simply returned to lighting the few remaining candles set around the sink. Altessa shook her head, sighing deeply. "Mom, put out those candles, they're dangerous." She said, louder this time, before she disappeared out the back door, shutting it behind her.   
  
Amanda looked over in the direction her daughter had vanished, pursing her lips. As she prepared to turn away again, the ten candles she had set around the kitchen table suddenly winked out, as though blown by an invisible breath. The woman frowned, brow knitting, trying to sort the whole incident out.   
  
She set down her lighter and headed out of the kitchen, leaving the remaining candles burning.   
  
* * *   
  
Altessa met Shane in their usual morning spot and she realized that she had never been so happy to see him. She saw that Morgan wasn't there and prayed that her friend was simply pissed at her and wasn't dead. "Have you seen Morgan today?" She asked her boyfriend, after breaking a tight embrace.   
  
Shane nodded once, looking his girlfriend up and down; he couldn't decide if she was simply trying to move past the accident over the weekend but he knew that if his father and brother had died, he wouldn't have come to school. "Yeah, she seemed pretty upset though. What's going on?" He questioned, sensing something between his girlfriend and her best friend. Shane had known Morgan for a while, a lot longer then he had known Altessa, and she had always been easier to read.   
  
Altessa debated telling Shane about the Design, wondering if he would believe her when her own best friend hadn't. "Shane, I'll explain it all to you later but be extremely careful...you'll understand later but just watch out. I have to find Morgan." She said instead, knowing that she didn't have time to explain everything to Shane.   
  
Her boyfriend nodded once, looking confused but he let her go without a word, watching the raven-haired girl disappear down the hallway. Altessa was weird, that was for sure, but he was beginning to become used to it.   
  
Altessa was so intent on finding Morgan that didn't notice someone standing directly in front of her until she ran into them, knocking them both off balance. Altessa steadied herself, blinking her eyes in an attempt to focus and saw that she had bumped in Kristen McAnderson, who looked equally surprised.   
  
A look of concern immediately crossed upon the teacher's face as she regarded her one time student. "Altessa, I didn't expect to see you here. How are you...after the accident.." She trailed off, looking uncomfortably, clearly wishing she hadn't spoken.   
  
Altessa sighed, frowning slightly and looking down at the floor; she had expected false sympathy from people but that didn't mean that she wanted or appreciated it. "I'm fine." She mumbled, forgetting all about warning her old teacher about the Signs and the Design. All she wanted that moment was to get away, go anywhere, off by herself; she had known that coming to school was a bad idea.   
  
Kristen nodded, trying to look understanding. "Well, anytime you want to talk, you know where to find me." She offered, though it appeared like she didn't ever want to go through with her words. "Altessa, I think I'll be co-teaching in your Chemistry class today, so I can talk to you then."   
  
The teenager nodded once, pushing the woman's words to the back of her mind as she rushed off, still looking for her best friend.   
  
* * *   
  
Morgan was no where to be found and by the time fourth period rolled around, Altessa still hadn't located her friend. She sat in her Chemistry classroom, tapping the tip of her pen against the surface of the black desk before her, eyes downcast. An hour before, she had called Kimberly, relieved to see that both she and Thomas were all right. Kimberly was just as relieved to hear from the teenager; she had yet to see any Signs and Altessa answered the same, forgetting about the paper in the kitchen. The conversation was short but important and the teenager felt like one part of her burden had been removed. Kimberly was still alive, there was still a chance to beat this thing.   
  
Altessa looked up when her teacher entered the classroom, trailing Kristen McAnderson behind him. She couldn't help but observe that her old teacher wasn't meeting her gaze, as though she was trying to pretend like she wasn't there at all. "Class, for today's lab I've asked Miss McAnderson to come help set up; she's much better at preparing for these things to me." Altessa wasn't paying attention to what her current teacher had to say, watching the actions of the Physical Science teacher.   
  
Kristen was setting up around the gas burner, securing a metal tube to the tip of the gasoline jet. Altessa watched with stunned fascination, unable to tear her eyes away even though there was nothing practically remarkable about the woman's actions.   
  
The teenager, however, was the only person in the room that noticed that the tip of the tube came unfastened when Kristen bumped against the table, turning to face the teacher beside her. Gasoline slipped silently into the room, bringing back a horrid case of deja-vu for Altessa, who was beginning to see a sort of pattern, but she still couldn't connect the dots.   
  
Kristen turned back around to regard the class, frowning when she noticed that the tube was no longer fastened. "Hold on, just one moment," She mumbled, picking up the metal hose onto the gasoline burner. "Now that everything is set up we can begin to experiment. First, you light the burner..." She pulled a book of matches out of her pocket and prepared to strike one.   
  
All too late, Altessa realized what all the Signs had been pointing to: her Chemistry homework catching on fire, all her mother's candles, the metal tube coming undone. "No! Wait!" She cried out, jumping to her feet, knocking against the table before her.   
  
The second Altessa leapt to her feet, Kristen struck the match against the book, lighting it instantly. Just as quickly, the gasoline around the woman caught fire, created a mini-explosion, driving Altessa backward, as well as though closest to the teacher. For a moment, the teenager felt like she had stepped back two days, and was witnessing the explosion that had killed her father and brother.   
  
But she wasn't in the lawn in front of where the old Victorian house had once stood. She lifted her head, her face tingling due to exposure to intense flames; her hair was a little charred as well, but aside from that, she was all right. Everyone else appeared okay as well, despite the fact that they should have been seriously hurt in such a contained explosion.   
  
Altessa jumped to her feet, brow knitted with concern for her old teacher. The concern quickly turned into grotesque fascination as she saw Kristen McAnderson's body parts strewn about the front of the classroom, some limbs lying in puddles of charred blood. The teenager's eyes widened when she saw the woman's head lying off to the right, still more or less attached to a charred torso, eyes staring blankly ahead, a few blackened locks still protruding from the brunt skull.   
  
Choking back a gag, Altessa snatched up her backpack and rushed from the science room, heading down the hallway.   
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
Here's a completely pointless note for you readers: there's another chapter after this one, that's right, two chapters come update time. Wow...I bet you're impressed now. For all those Kimberly-lovers out there, sorry she wasn't in this chapter like at all but from now on she will be. One last note before you continue: the part with the candles blowing out by themselves, that's a death omen. It's that interesting.... 


	15. Chapter Fifteen: Survivor's Guilt

Chapter Fifteen   
  
Survivor's Guilt   
  
Kimberly felt something was wrong, somewhere deep down inside of her, she knew that something wasn't right. She worried that the feelings had something to do with Altessa, or at least one of the survivors; it was the same feeling she had gotten right before someone was about to die and she was getting it now. The brunette picked up her black cell phone and prepared to dial the number of the identical one when the phone rang, startling her and causing her to drop the phone.   
  
Thomas looked over at Kimberly, startled as well but slightly amused by her skittishness. Without a word to him, Kimberly snatched the phone off the floor and hit the "talk" button knowing exactly who was going to be on the other line. "Altessa, what's up?" She questioned, knowing now was no time for pleasantries.   
  
"Someone just died." Altessa informed the brunette, who was slightly shocked but not as much as she should have been. She knew something bad was about to happen, but it appeared that it already have. She was, however, was a little surprised at how calm Altessa sounded.   
  
"Are you all right?" Kimberly asked before adding the nagging question, "Who died?" It could only be one of three people, assuming that Altessa was indeed at school. She was beginning to believe that it was the teenager's old teacher whom had been the first to go, judging by how mellow Altessa was.   
  
There was a short pause before Altessa answered both of her questions. "I'm fine, well, as fine as you can be after seeing your old science teacher blown into a whole bunch of pieces right in front of you." The words were spoken snappishly, but the tone wasn't directed to Kimberly. She was finally buckling under the event, feeling fear and tears spring unbidden upon her; one she could blink away, the other would be with her for a while.   
  
Kimberly reeled slightly, mentally, blinking her eyes and letting out a deep breath. She wasn't quite sure of what to say in terms of sympathy, so she simply said, "I'm sorry." knowing that it wasn't the right thing.   
  
Altessa didn't seem to mind, knowing that the brunette's heart was in the right place; Kimberly didn't need to say any words of comfort, at least not right now. She knew that the brunette understood what was going on and how she felt and that was enough for her. "What bothers me is that I could have saved her! I should have known...I should have read the Signs clearer. If I had been smarter...I could have saved her." She was upset at herself, feeling guilty for the loss of Miss McAnderson.   
  
"It's not your fault Altessa, you tried. The Signs will be clearer next time, we'll save however is next." Kimberly assured her, remembering her own feelings of guilt. Guilt at not being able to save her friends or Tim Carpenter or Clear Rivers. It was survivor's guilt that often drove her to continue to fight the Design, the desire to prove that because she survived she wouldn't use her time in vain.   
  
"But we don't know who's going to be next; I really didn't know that Miss McAnderson was going to die until she lit that match. What if you're next? Or Thomas, or Morgan or my mother? I can't take a chance like that Kimberly, we have to know." Altessa cried, stating out loud the question that had been running around in Kimberly's head every since Saturday afternoon.   
  
What if she was next to die? Or worse, what if it was Thomas' turn next and she wouldn't be able to save him because she wouldn't know until it was too late. "We'll figure something out...watch the Signs, that's all we can do. We have to figure out Signs that could only appeal to one person, something that we'll recognize when we see it." Kimberly suggested, the idea suddenly dawning upon her. If they knew more about the survivors, it would be easier to sort out the Signs.   
  
Another pause, Altessa was thinking about an answer to her question. "Well, Morgan likes to act, she has drama class now and Shane likes football. My mother likes gardening and she lights candles a lot." The teenager answer, speaking about the people that she knew the best and loved the most. For the complete lack of affection her mother showed her, she still couldn't bare to think of anything happening to her, and the thought of her mother dying was even worse.   
  
Kimberly checked these thoughts into her memory, promising that she'd call Altessa back if she saw a Sign, or in the next thirty minutes to check in. Altessa promised to do the same, leaving her cell phone on in preparation for Kimberly's phone call.   
  
The connection was broken and Kimberly was silent for a minute, leaning against the back of the couch and staring blankly ahead, vaguely registering that Thomas was watching her, waiting for her to speak. Finally she said, "Altessa's science teacher is dead, she got killed in a lab explosion." It was detail that Altessa hadn't given her, but she felt like she knew anyway.   
  
Thomas let out a sigh, as though he hadn't really believed that the Design had started up again until someone had died. But now, there was no way out of it, no amount of logic could push away the fact that they could possibly die, very soon. "Kimberly, we don't have to help her you know; she knows enough now, she could look for the Signs. Helping could only get us killed." He didn't want to say those words, but the thought of something happened to Kimberly forced them out of his mouth.   
  
Kimberly looked at him, slightly shocked, a little upset, yet she appeared to believe him to some extent. "We can't just look the other way, we can't do that; we have to help her. Clear risked her life to help us...she died helping us. If not for her, we might not be alive right now." It was the survivor's guilt speaking once again, as much as she wanted to admit that Thomas was right, that helping Altessa might only get them killed. But she couldn't just abandon Altessa, the girl needed her help and they needed hers; she felt a strong connection to the teenager, like someone who finally found someone will all of the same interested. Only, Kimberly felt that this ran slightly deeper, their shared connection was formed because of the heavy burden they both carried. The burden of Death.   
  
Thomas stood up and joined her on the couch, locking eyes with her. "She died, Kimberly, and you could too. I don't want anything to happen to you...we've come too far to die now because we made a stupid mistake." He said, holding her gaze until she was the one that dropped her eyes.   
  
Kimberly pulled him into a tight embrace, burying her face against his shoulder, taking a deep breath. "We won't do anything stupid...nothing is going to happen, to either of us." She pulled back slightly, until they were making eye contact again.   
  
Before either one of them could say anything more, there was a loud popping noise and the flimsy, hollow metal rod that held up a set of heavy beige curtain snapped in half, bending in the middle and dropping its burden down upon the couple. Kimberly tossed the curtain aside, uncovering her head and sneezing softly because of the dust that coated the fabric.   
  
She stared up at the remaining metal rod trying to figure out exactly what had caused it to break. Perhaps the curtains had finally grown to heavy for it to hold (it was, after all, a $1.99 rod from Wal-Mart) and it had finally snapped. Or maybe there was something more to its sudden break.   
  
As if to confirm Kimberly's suspicions, a reflection appeared in the window, much like the image of the pigeons a year before or like the vision of the bus that her predecessor had seen. This vision was neither of pigeons or a bus but of what appeared to be a row of large lights, bolted into a metal shaft, swinging down toward her. The image disappeared quickly and Kimberly blinked, frowning, trying to make heads or tails of the whole thing.   
  
Suddenly, it became clear to her. "Did you see that? It was a Sign!" She exclaimed, tossing the rest of the thick curtain aside, jumping up and grabbing the black cell phone off the coffee table in front of them.   
  
Thomas looked at her, surprised even though he knew he shouldn't be, watching the brunette punch numbers into the key pad. He looked over at the window, saw nothing but the world outside and then back at Kimberly, shaking his head slightly. "Just don't do anything stupid." He mumbled under his breath.   
  
But he knew that she hadn't heard him. 


	16. Chapter Sixteen: Drama Lesson

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
Okay, thanks for the reviews; sorry that the Death wasn't all it was cracked up to be. Hopefully, they'll get better; you have no idea how hard it is to come up with inventive stuff, all the good Deaths have been taken (i.e. Terry Chaney, I love that one!) And to ScribbleDribble, I'm glad that the last chapter gave Kimberly depth; she's my favorite actress and character (aside from Clear).Sorry that it's dragging, I'll try to pick up the pace, I just have a lot to say to make sure everything in this story makes sense. So, on with the next chapter!  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
Chapter Sixteen   
  
Drama Lesson   
  
Altessa was still sitting in the dingy high school bathroom when her cell phone rang, startling her, the shrill ring echoing through the empty room. She grabbed the phone off the floor where it rested beside her and clicked it on as quickly as she could. It could only be Kimberly calling and Altessa figured that she didn't have good news to report.   
  
"Hello?" She answered, as force of habit, knowing that she could have addressed Kimberly directly.   
  
"Altessa, it's Kimberly...I just saw a Sign." Kimberly's voice was tight with tension and worry, laced with a little bit of fear. "A falling beam of lights, or something like that: lights attached to a metal beam." She explained, trying to convey exactly what she saw. "Do you have any idea..."   
  
Altessa was silent for a moment, letting her words sink in and trying to identify what it could possibly mean. Suddenly, recognition flooded her mind and she nearly dropped the cell phone. She didn't bother to bid Kimberly goodbye, simply shutting the phone off and tossing it upon her backpack, standing up and bolting out of the bathroom. Morgan was in danger and she had to help her friend before it was too late.   
  
* * *   
  
Morgan sat off to one side in the drama classroom, which was simply that; the room had once been the high school's theatre, complete with a stage and stage lights, but when the school had started putting on plays for a wide audience, the room was decided too small and thus converted into a drama classroom. The teenager was lost in thought, thinking about what Altessa had said the day before; she had watched her friend that morning, greeting Shane and Altessa had looked just as anxious and frightened as she had the previous afternoon.   
  
Her drama teacher was lecturing about working backstage, using the lights and curtains and such but Morgan wasn't even giving the woman half of her attention. All she could think about were Altessa's words, about Death coming after them because they didn't die in the house explosion. It was crazy, wasn't it? But she had heard about what had happened to the people who hadn't died on Flight 180; how often did people get splattered by city buses?   
  
Morgan sighed deeply and pushed those thoughts from her mind, knowing that they would do her no good. What she really needed to do was talk with Altessa and sort the whole thing out once and for all, whether her friend was crazy or not. She watched as her drama teacher walked over to the light board and curtain control panel, all the knobs lumped together on a huge wooden pedestal towards the right of the room. "Working with the lights is very dangerous because these lights are rickety and weren't safe back when they were first installed. For your instructions on how to use the light and curtain knobs correctly, we'll go into the current auditorium. So, it's extremely important that no one messes with these lights because they could fall and it wouldn't be pretty." The woman was explaining.   
  
Morgan felt a chill course through her body, though she wasn't quite sure why; she had known the lights were dangerous, her teacher was simply reiterating what she had told them on their first day of class. But something about looking at the rickety lights now, with Altessa's words ringing in the back of her mind, didn't bode well.   
  
And with those words, the teacher broke off onto a tangent, calling for the class to step up on stage and practice their improvisation skills. Morgan drudgingly got up, eyeing the lights in spite of herself and feeling foolish for doing so. 'If you believe that crazy shit Altessa said, then you're just as crazy as she is,' She reprimanded herself, shaking her head.   
  
Morgan's attention was distracted from the lights when two of the boys in her class started play wrestling, as immature freshmen boys were known to do. Watching them get scolded by the teacher would give her something else to think about and get her mind off Altessa's words once and for all. But her teacher didn't seem to notice the freshmen boys, too busy talking to another student.   
  
The entrance door swung open, as through someone had thrown it open with all of their might, and Morgan was surprised to see Altessa step inside, face pale and contorted in worry. When she noticed her friend on stage, the worry seemed to vanished slightly and she stepped forward, motioning for her friend to join her. Morgan took a step forward, confused at why Altessa would have cut class to come see her but stopped when there was a loud popping noise.   
  
Everyone in the room turned in the direction of the sound to see one of the freshmen shoved up against the pedestal control panel, the play-fighting having suddenly turned serious. The second boy wouldn't let his victim up, pushing him backward even more, the first boy's back pressing violently against the buttons and knobs.   
  
There was a grating sound as the stage lights flicked on brightly, blinding Morgan from where she stood on the stage; the lights swung slightly, clearly attempting to the follow the motions that the buttons were directing. The large bulbs and their metal cases gyrated left and right, showering florescent light upon those in their path.   
  
Altessa watched with growing horror, seeing slowly what Kimberly's vision had meant; she looked up at the stage lights when they began to dip slightly, a few of the nuts and bolts dropping onto the floor with a echoing ring. The beam suddenly dropped completely with a ripping crack, swinging forward. Altessa turned to face her friend, already rushing forward. "Morgan! Watch out!" She cried, praying that the lights would miss her friend or that she could somehow save her.   
  
Morgan looked in the direction of Altessa's voice, slightly confessed, only to see at that moment exactly what had caused her to cry out. Before she could even react, the beam and its winking stage lights smashed into her body, shattering the bones and knocking her backward.   
  
The beam swung backward again, pushed by its own momentum, the lights winking out, bulbs shattered. Morgan's limb body was stuck onto the middle light, impaled in the chest by the sharp metal tip; glass had shattered into her face, marring her features with tiny cuts and incisions. Her body was twisted at an awkward angle, shoulder bones jutting through skin, her legs appearing to hang on only by tight cords of muscle.   
  
Altessa found that she couldn't take her eyes off the grotesque sight, seeing her best friend hanging like a rag doll. The sound of someone's strangled scream brought her out of her revere and she realized numbly that she was the one that had started screaming. She finally turned away, falling to her knees and vomiting, tears streaming down her cheeks.   
  
She was too late, too late to save someone else.   
  
* * *   
  
Kimberly's heart sank when she heard the shrilling ringing of the black cell phone; she knew it had to be Altessa, calling to confirm her premonition. The way that the teenager had quickly hung up only minutes ago caused Kimberly to feel that Altessa knew exactly what her premonition had been about. She only prayed that it wasn't too late but she knew that it was.   
  
"Altessa." Kimberly said by way of a greeting when she answered the black phone. Thomas looked over at her with confirmed interest, body tensing slightly.  
  
Kimberly's question was met with the sound of choked sobs, as Altessa tried to speak but couldn't. "Kim..Kimberly..." Her words were smothered once again by cries and this time the teenager couldn't control them. Kimberly stood up, her feeling of dread growing.   
  
"Altessa, Altessa, are you all right? What happened?" She questioned, glancing over at Thomas, who was concerned as well, waiting impatiently to know exactly what she was hearing on the other line.   
  
With a deep breath, Altessa attempted to reign in her sobs, trying to compose herself long enough to answer her friend's question. "Kimberly, Morgan is dead...your premonition was of stage lights killing her." By the pain in the teenager's voice, Kimberly knew that Altessa was speaking from first-hand knowledge, the knowledge of actually seeing her friend killed. It was a feeling that Kimberly knew all too well.   
  
"Altessa..." Kimberly trailed off, knowing that she didn't want to give the teenager comfort over the phone, that wasn't the place for it. So instead she said, "Be outside the school in ten minutes, Thomas and I are coming to get you." She paused, having made her up mind, looking over at Thomas and holding his gaze. "There's someone we need to see."   
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
Just some useless info but I have drama this year in a room like the one described and I was trying to figure out a Death for this story when my teacher was like "if you horse around in here and mess with the lights, they could fall and kill someone" and I was like, how ironic, I'll use that. But, let me tell you, it's kinda creepy seeing those lights every other day... 


	17. Chapter Seventeen: Reaper

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
Thanks again for the reviews, and sorry to make you afraid to go to chemistry class but, let's just say, I have a lot of free time and my classes and I've seen these movies way too much and so, everything becomes a potential death. To make it original is the tough part. But, enough of that, on with the story!  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
Chapter Seventeen   
  
Reaper   
  
It was only as Kimberly sat beside Thomas in the front seat of his SUV, silently lost amongst her thoughts, that she realized that today was the one year anniversary of the day when they had believed that they had actually defeated the Design. The day that Kat, Rory and Eugene were killed, the day Clear was killed and the day that she had driven the ambulance into the lake before the hospital and had died herself. One year ago she thought that she was safe, that her life was guiding itself back to normal. How wrong she was.   
  
Altessa was seated on the curb in front of the school, dutifully waiting and crying silently, her black hair partially hiding her pale face. She looked up when she noticed the car pulling into the spacious parking lot, the only thing moving during the school day. The SUV squeaked to stop against the curb a few feet behind where the teenager sat and when it stopped, Altessa stood, shifting her backpack. She wasn't quite sure why she had brought it with her, she knew that she wasn't going to be needing it for a while.   
  
Kimberly slipped out of the passenger side of the car and walked over to where Altessa stood, leaving Thomas behind the wheel. For a moment, the two women simply stared at each other, silently locking eyes. Altessa finally buckled, her tears and pain returning once again, seeing her friend's broken body whenever she closed her eyes. She attempted to keep her sobs in check but couldn't, bowing her head once again, dark hair falling across her cheeks.   
  
It was Kimberly who closed the short gap between them, embracing the teenager; she had been through this as well and had promised herself that she would never let anything like this happen to anyone else, no one deserved this pain and fear. Altessa returned the embrace, sobbing without words, simply letting herself be comforted by the woman that had quickly become so important to her.   
  
"It's okay, Altessa, I know how you're feeling, I watched my friends die too." Kimberly whispered, feeling tears prick her eyes, wondering if her words offered any comfort at all. She remembered the sound of the twisted metal and the panicked screams of her best friend; she constantly felt guilty, feeling as though there was something that she could have done to make sure that her friends had survived. "We won't let anyone else die."   
  
At those words, Altessa pulled away, sniffing. "Right." She mumbled, but she didn't sound as sure as she wanted to feel. "Where are we going?" She sounded confused, yet interested, but still lost in her grief.   
  
Kimberly slightly raised an eyebrow. "To see an old friend."   
  
* * *   
  
Altessa was silent the entire ride, speaking only to explain the events of the morning. No one felt much like talking, all lost in their own private thoughts; Kimberly gazed out the window through most of the ride, watching the scenery past by without thought, looking over at Altessa and Thomas once or twice.   
  
As they neared the funeral home that Kimberly and Thomas had visited a year ago, Kimberly felt a deep pang of sadness as she thought of Clear, her guilt returning once again. She attempted to push those feelings away but couldn't, feeling as though Clear's death was her fault. If Clear hadn't left Stonybrook to help her then she wouldn't have died; but Clear had, in a way, saved her life. And now she was going to help Altessa, with hopefully different results.   
  
"Where are we going?" Altessa asked once again, speaking for the first time in nearly forty minutes and startling the other passengers. The answer that Kimberly had given her earlier no longer satisfied. "Who could possibly help us?"   
  
Kimberly shifted to face the teenager. "Trust me, he can help us a lot more then you'd think; he's a mortician, death is his job." She explained, raising an eyebrow once again.   
  
Altessa nodded, pursing her lips. "Let's hope he can help." She muttered, casting her eyes down to the floor. She continued to play the morning's events over in her mind, beginning with the Death of Kristen McAnderson and ending with Morgan's. Even if Kimberly's friend could help, Altessa knew that it would be bittersweet; she had failed to save her best friend and her family.   
  
"Don't worry, Altessa, we're going to beat this once and for all." Thomas said, attempting not only to assure the teenager but himself as well.   
  
With those words everyone was silent once again; not a word was said even as Thomas guided the SUV across the gravel path that snaked through the unkempt graveyard that was their destination. He parked in a grassy patch a few yards away from a nearly hidden door, shutting the car off.   
  
Altessa peered out the window, frowning at the landscape. "How did you find this place?" She asked, glancing over at Kimberly and Thomas, who were undoing their seatbelts.   
  
"A friend, Clear Rivers, she brought us here a year ago and it seemed only fitting to come here again." Kimberly told her, opening her car door and preparing to slid out. The door, however, slammed shut suddenly, as though pushed by an invisible hand and Kimberly jumped back to avoid getting her leg shut in as well. As soon as the door clicked shut, there was a large cracking sound and a spidery branch from the tree above the car dropped and impaled in the ground where Kimberly would have been standing if she had gotten out of the car.   
  
Silence took over again as everyone looked at the branch and then over at Kimberly, who was looked startled but slightly sedate, the look of someone who had seen it all before. "Are you all right?" Thomas questioned, looking at the brunette with a worried expression on his face.   
  
Kimberly nodded once, sighing deeply. "Okay, this is getting ridiculous," She grumbled, feeling more frightened then she let on, "let's figure out how to beat this son of a bitch once and for all."   
  
Thomas and Altessa had no words of argument and both slipped out of the car, glancing around nervously; Kimberly climbed out through Thomas' side, having no desire to mess with the branch just yet. They let Kimberly led the way, as she seemed to be their natural leader.   
  
The trio entered the basement level, walking silently, as though they were afraid to breathe. Fires burned in the cremating knell and three stiff, pale bodies rested on separate metal slabs, waiting to became ashes. Aside from the corpses, the room was deserted.   
  
Kimberly frowned, pursing her lips. "He was here last time." She mumbled, more to herself, glancing around the dreary room.   
  
Altessa stepped away from her friends, glancing around as well, avoiding the fires and bodies. She paused, turning back to face Thomas and Kimberly. "Maybe he's upstairs." She remarked, motioning to the stairwell behind her.   
  
The stairs led to an upper level, more of a reception area, with oaken coffins spread around on pedestals and a cherry wood desk to the right. Once again, the three split up, looking for the mortician that would hopefully answer their questions. Kimberly walked toward the desk, running her fingers along the slick wood.   
  
Just as she was about to let her hand drop, she felt cold fingers close around her wrist, causing her to shriek in surprise. Altessa and Thomas whirled around to see what had caused Kimberly to scream and saw the brunette pulling her wrist out of the grasp of the smiling mortician.   
  
"Hello Kimberly, Thomas, it's been a while. And I see you brought a friend." Bludworth stepped out from behind the desk, still smiling at the brunette, who was unnerved. She had yet to get over the way that the man seemed to know everything about her and the situation.   
  
The brunette rejoined Thomas and Altessa, staring at the mortician. "Not long enough." She mumbled, unable to help glaring at the man. "I hate to say it, but, we need your help."   
  
Bludworth never stopped smiling, shaking his head slightly. "The 'advice' didn't play out the way I'd...hoped but I wasn't exactly counting on your friend." He said, his gaze dropping to Altessa, who was studying him warily.   
  
At his words, Altessa frowned, as did Kimberly. "Me? what are you talking about?" The teenager questioned, the hairs on the back of her neck sticking up. There was something in the man's eyes that she didn't trust, something that told her that he knew all of her carefully guarded secrets.   
  
Bludworth frowned slightly for the first time, looking exasperated. "Altessa, you of all people should know what I'm talking about. Surely Kimberly told you about cheating Death and breaking the Design." He said, raising an eyebrow.   
  
Altessa glanced over at Kimberly, confused and slightly unnerved; the brunette looked equally confused, yet not surprised. "How do you know my name? I don't even know you." The teenager remarked, trying not to show how much the man frightened her.   
  
"I know a lot more then you think." Bludworth assured her and she didn't doubt it for a second. His attention shifted to the brunette and he said, "You see, Kimberly, Death has a delicate pattern, a balance-"   
  
"I know that, last time we came to you for help you said that New Life would defeat Death but it didn't. I died when I drove that van into the lake and being revived should have been a new life. But now Thomas and I are back on Death's list to obviously your advice fell short. So why don't you tell us how we can actually beat this thing!" Kimberly commanded, wanting to do more then just yell at the man. She wanted to throttle him, punish him for giving her false hopes and wanted to take out all her guilt and fear on him. But she did none of those things, simply stood her ground and glared, waiting for an answer.   
  
Bludworth chucked, not phased by the outburst. "Such fire, just like your friend Clear." He remarked and Kimberly involuntarily took a step backward, pursing her lips until they were nothing by a pale line.   
  
Thomas placed a reassuring hand on the brunette's shoulder and turned his attention to the mortician. "Cut the crap and answer our questions. What does Altessa have to do with any of this?" He questioned, glancing over at the teenager, who was already staring at him.   
  
"Like I was saying, there is a pattern to everything, a quilt if you will; if a patch is added, the quilt is uneven and is forced to start a new. Same goes if one patch is taken away, the quilt would have to be redone." Bludworth paused, looking at the three survivors, who were watching him silently.   
  
"Look," Altessa snapped, having had enough of the whole ordeal, "we're here for advice on how to stop Death, not for a quilting lesson. How is this relevant?"   
  
Once again, Bludworth shook his head, amused by her antics. "But if one patch is taken away and one put in its place at the same instance, then the balance is not broken. The quilt simply stays the same; such is way of the Design, to truly beat Death is to make sure that the 'patch' that was supposed to stay out does." Bludworth paused and his gaze settled on Kimberly once again. "You would have beaten the Design if not for Altessa."   
  
The teenager suddenly shut her eyes tightly and bowed her head, as though she was unable to hear anymore, hated memories returning with a sudden fury: the pain, the blackness and the sudden blinding explosion. "Altessa, are you all right?" Kimberly's words caused her to open her eyes once again, looking over at the brunette.   
  
"I've cheated Death before...last year, last year today." Altessa whispered, the words sounding foreign to her. She had never spoken to anyone before about the 'accident' that had befallen her and changed her life.   
  
Kimberly frowned, placing her arms around the girl's shoulder in a half embrace. "It's all right Altessa," She whispered comfortingly, tucking the teenager's long hair behind her shoulders. "But you have to tell us what happened."   
  
Altessa sighed, partially leaning against the brunette. "A year ago, I was at home by myself because my parents and Michael had gone out for the afternoon. I was in the living room, watching the news; there was this report about some accident in a field and while I was watching it, I heard a window shatter in the kitchen.   
  
"I got up to see what it was and there was a man, he had crawled through the window, there was still glass in his hair. He had a gun in one hand and he hadn't even bothered to hide his face; when he looked at me, he looked surprised and a little scared. I didn't know what to do so I just stood there, staring at him for the longest time. When I moved to run from the kitchen, I guess he shot me...all I remember is hearing the crack of the gun and feeling pain in my stomach.   
  
"Later, the doctors told me that he shot me three times in all." Altessa paused, closing her eyes and reflexively touching her concealed stomach. Every time she looked at her scarred stomach, she afraid, no matter how hard she attempted to forget. "But, I guess one of the neighbors found me, I don't really remember. I just remember everything was dark and painful, I could hear voices but I couldn't open my eyes. Then everything went away completely, the pain, everything was dark.   
  
"Then there was a blinding explosion of light and everything came back, the pain the voices. The doctors said that I was dead but an explosion in an adjoining hospital wing had exploded and sent a surge of electricity through the ECG machine." Altessa frowned, closing her eyes again and wishing she had never spoken. She had never spoken about the events of that afternoon because it changed everything; everyone was touchy around her, afraid to say the wrong thing. There were also the false looks of pity in everyone's eyes that nearly drove her insane, for those people truly didn't care one way or another.   
  
Kimberly's heart went out to the teenager but she remained silent, knowing that now wasn't the place for the comfort wanted to offer her. She knew, in a way, what Altessa was feeling, what she had gone through; her mother had been shot and killed but she hadn't been as 'lucky' as the teenager. She continued to hold the teenager in a half embrace, her mind racing; Altessa was supposed to die and would have if not for Clear's death. By getting off of Flight 180, Clear had changed someone else's life; if she had never left Stonybrook then she wouldn't have died in the hospital explosion, if there would have been one at all. Altessa was alive because Clear was dead, the replacing patch in 'quilt.'   
  
"So, if Clear hadn't died in the hospital, Altessa would be dead." Thomas remarked, voice gentle, feeling genuine pity for the teenager.   
  
Bludworth nodded slowly, a slight smile upon his face. "Everyone cheats Death, however mundane; ever why, Kimberly, everyone in the pileup was supposed to have died at an earlier time? Certain people seem to draw Death to them, a human 'reaper' if you will; some people have more 'control' then others, a second sight. Humans were never intended to see the inner-workings of the Design, therefore, Fate puts those people with others destined to die. Killing two birds with one stone." The man finished, turning away from the group at last.   
  
Altessa, however, had yet to be satisfied, her desire for answers growing. "That doesn't help us!" She cried, pulling away from Kimberly and approaching the mortician. "What makes us so special? How come we can see what no one else can?"   
  
Bludworth turned around, pursing his lips. "There are things that people aren't meant to know, Altessa, but you, of all people, should know that Death changes a person. Those who die and are revived gain a second sight much more powerful then those who cheat Death by chance. What the Signs, Altessa." Bludworth advised, winking slightly. "It's a verbal irony that your name means what it does."   
  
Altessa frowned, narrowing her eyes and retreating back to her friends, watching the mortician disappear down the stairs, whistling softly to himself. Kimberly turned her glance to the teenager, feeling a sisterly sort of protection come over her. Though Kimberly wanted to, it was Thomas who asked, "Altessa, what does your name mean?"   
  
The raven-haired girl frowned, a crooked sort of expression. "It means Reaper." She answered without hesitation.   
  
Kimberly couldn't help but scoff, snickering at the irony of the whole thing. "Don't fear the reaper." She muttered, so quiet that Thomas didn't hear her, though Altessa did.   
  
Altessa wrinkled her nose slightly, not finding the situation amusing. "Funny."   
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
Okay, so, I always like it in the movies when they go visit Bludworth, he's kinda cool. And yes, the name Altessa really does mean reaper, I picked it just for that moment. I know that Bludworth's advice wasn't as great in this chapter but it works, I guess. And there's the final piece of Altessa's past, for those of you who have waited patiently. And the part about the quilting lesson and such belongs to ScribbleDribble and I thought it would fit with this. Please review! 


	18. Chapter Eighteen: Safety

Once again, it's time to thank everyone for their reviews, they make me feel so good; I always like the parts when Bludworth is in them, Tony Todd is pretty cool/creepy, in a good way. In reference to why there is no order, it's because they all died at once in the vision....Anyway on with the show. More Death's coming soon, the end is coming soon, and so is another chapter to F.D. the musical and the sequel to "Why Can't I?". I mean it this time, I have the first chapter written and I'm pretty sure I have a title picked out. Anyway, on with this story!   
  
Chapter Eighteen   
  
Safety  
  
The trio of survivors were silent as they left the funeral home the way they had come in, crossing the grassy, unkempt field and heading back to Thomas' SUV, which was waiting dutifully. Kimberly sighed and moved the branch away from her side of the car and climbed inside, turning so that she could see both Thomas and Altessa.   
  
"Okay, that was weird." Altessa remarked, the first of them to speak since Bludworth had left. The teenager looked unnerved, anxious and a little bit frightened and it was obvious that she was trying her hardest to hide all of these things.   
  
Kimberly nodded once, feeling like the girl deserved the understatement of the year award. Weird wasn't exactly the word she would have picked to describe her second encounter with the mortician. "Weird, eerie, disturbing, down-right fucking scary, whatever." She mumbled under her breathe, rolling her eyes at her list of synonyms.   
  
"So, what do we do now?" Altessa questioned, ignoring Kimberly's comments. "I don't really understood how that helped us; all we know now is that you guys didn't beat the Design because of me."   
  
The brunette shook her head, giving Altessa her full attention. "Maybe we weren't meant to beat the Design then, maybe we'll figure it out with your help."   
  
Altessa frowned and shook her head, shrugging her shoulders helplessly. "I don't think I'll be of much help, I have no idea what to do." She pointed out, feeling once again like she was disappointing her friends. She did know one thing, however, and that was that she wasn't going to let anyone else die because of her.   
  
Thomas turned around to face the teenager as well. "Neither do we, Altessa but I think that the only thing we can do is watch for the Signs and stick together." He paused and turned to face the brunette, whose gaze flicked to his face when she noticed he was looking at her. "I think we should get all of the survivors together, sort of like we did last year, it will be easier to look out for each other that way."   
  
Kimberly frowned, brow knitting, raising an eyebrow at his words. "After what happened last time? Are you sure that's a good idea?" She asked, not wanting a repeat of the carnage that had followed their "meeting" the previous year.   
  
Altessa leaned forward, looking slightly interested in spite of herself. "What happened last time?" She asked, figuring that they could use the information from past Death's to keep the same thing from happening once again.   
  
"Let's just say it involved a woman and an elevator door, not pretty." Kimberly answered, wrinkling her nose comically, speaking only from what she'd been told, not from first hand knowledge.   
  
The teenager frowned as well, sighing and dropping back until she was leaning against the back of the seat once again. "Oh, sorry I asked." Her words were almost inaudible and if Thomas or Kimberly heard what she had said at all, they gave no sign.   
  
Thomas stuck the key into the ignition and started the car up once again, guiding it along the gravel path that led out of the funeral home back lot. "I don't think we have to worry about that, our apartment is too cheap to afford elevators."   
  
With those words, the car was silent once again, its passengers lost to their own thoughts. Everyone was thinking the exact same thing: how could they beat the Design once and for all? Kimberly thoughts, however, were off on their own separate tangent, thinking solely about why she had suffered the vision of the pileup in the first place. She understood the stem of Altessa's second sight, the fact that she had died before being revived had dipped her into the world that was almost never seen by a living person. But she had never gone through anything like that, at least not before she had drowned and that was after her vision. Kimberly remembered that Clear said that Alex used to ask himself why he had had his vision; he had never understood the reason he had seen the plane explosion before it actually happened. She wished that she could talk to Alex, wished that he wasn't dead and could help her; maybe then they could actually figure everything out.   
  
"What if," Thomas spoke suddenly, startling the two women in the car, "we tried the New Life thing again? You know, dying then being revived, like the mortician suggested."   
  
Kimberly thought about his words for a moment before shaking his head. "No, I don't think that would work; we'd have no idea of knowing if we really broke the Design and it's too risky to try." She pointed out, wishing that the answer to their problems was that simple.   
  
Altessa sighed, gazing out the window at her own faded reflection, watching the trees and buildings wiz past. "What if...what if I died intentionally, wouldn't that break the Design in some way? Removing a patch, or whatever and forcing everything to start over." She questioned, speaking more to herself then to anyone else in the car.   
  
Kimberly and turned around to face the teenager. "Don't talk like that, okay? We can beat this thing, together, you're not going to die." She said, a little more harshly then she had intended. Something inside of her said that Altessa doing might just solve all of their problems, but she wasn't sure if it was worth it; there had to be some other way, a way that didn't involve the death of her teenage friend.   
  
Altessa didn't say anything, continuing to stare out the window; she knew that if worse came to worse that she might have to give up her life to save everyone else's. But, she was oddly okay with that, feeling a strange sense of peace -almost- at the thought. And it was that feeling that frightened her the most.   
  
* * *  
  
By the time they reached familiar territory and landscapes, Kimberly had finally relented to Thomas' plan to have another meeting at their apartment. "I can get in touch with all the survivors by using the information they gave in their reports down at the station. Altessa-" He dropped off, turning around to face the teenager, who nodded once.   
  
"Right, I'll talk to my mom and Shane about coming." She mumbled in agreement. "Though I don't think my mother will be too pleased about the whole thing." She was certain that Amanda wasn't going to join them at the meeting but it wouldn't hurt to ask.   
  
Kimberly sighed, though there was a slight smile upon her face. "Maybe she'll be more open to coming if she realizes that it's a matter of life and death." She suggested, looking at Altessa through the rearview mirror.   
  
So, it was decided that Altessa would gather her mother and boyfriend and meet at the apartment in half an hour. When Thomas' SUV pulled up beside the teenager's two story house, they saw Shane sitting outside on the concrete stoop, head in his hands, unaware of them at all. Altessa exchanged a brief glance with Kimberly and Thomas before slipping out of the car and heading across the yard, approaching her boyfriend. She barely registered the fact that the SUV pulled away from the curb, feeling a tiny bit of weight slip off her shoulders seeing that her boyfriend was still alive.   
  
Shane lifted his head and a reassured smile crossed his face as he dropped to his feet; he pulled Altessa into an embrace and kissing her on the cheek. "God, Altessa, I was so worried about you; I heard about Morgan and then I couldn't find you..." He started but Altessa pulled away, causing him to look slightly surprised.   
  
"Look, we don't have time for this; we have to talk to my mother and get to Kimberly's apartment." She told him, heading toward the front door. Shane grabbed her arm and pulled her to a stop, spinning her face to face him.   
  
"Altessa, what is going on? Talk to me now; who is Kimberly?" He asked, frowning as he spoke. Altessa sighed, knowing that at any moment someone else could die, for they had no idea who was going to die next.   
  
The teenager said, "It's hard to believe but you've got to trust me: we're all going to die because we cheated Death when we didn't die in the house explosion. Kimberly also predicts Death, like I did on Saturday and she's going to help us look for the Signs and beat Death's Design. Now we're going to meet with all the other survivors and we need to talk to my mother. Come on."   
  
Shane frowned, attempting to let everything register; he wasn't quite sure where Altessa was coming from but he knew that if he at least went along with what she was saying then maybe he could help her through whatever was really bothering her. But, there was a part of him the knew he should believe her; after all, Morgan had died and so had Miss McAnderson and they had both been there Saturday afternoon. Pushing all his doubts aside, he followed Altessa into her house and shut the door behind him.   
  
* * *   
  
Kimberly paced around her living room anxiously, eyes and senses peeled for anything out of the ordinary, anything that could be Sign. She was actually impressed that all of the survivors had agreed to the apartment, even if Thomas had told them that it was only a routine follow up after the accident. Skye Davis sat on the couch between her boyfriend, Scott Sanders, and a lady-seeking bachelor named Richard Louis. No one said much of anything, though Skye and Scott were whispering quietly amongst themselves, no doubt about how crazy the whole thing seemed.   
  
They were all waiting on Altessa's arrival, dragging the other two survivors in her wake; the teenager was ten minutes and ten minutes was more then enough time for Kimberly to begin worrying.   
  
When the door bell finally rung, she rushed over to the door, flinging it open almost over-dramatically, relieved to see Altessa standing on the faded welcome mat with her boyfriend behind her. "Sorry we're late." The teenager apologized when she saw Kimberly's worried face. "My mother wouldn't come, so we had to walk."   
  
"She wouldn't come?" Kimberly repeated, worried expression staying put. "She could be next." She didn't want to point out such a fact but it would do no good to ignore the situation they were in.   
  
Altessa shook her head, turning to face her brunette friend. "I know but she wouldn't come. And she thinks I'm crazy." She added, a hint of sadness laced in her words, though she tried not to show it. She turned to face the other survivors, who were regarding her cautiously, and let her eyes drift past them, around the apartment. Altessa was certain that Kimberly and Thomas would have already done their best to safe-proof the apartment but she couldn't help but look around. Kimberly's computer was wrapped in bubble wrap and any glass picture grams had been slipped into a drawer and all papers had been slipped into a single folder.   
  
She frowned when she noticed Thomas' blue kayak bound to the ceiling with a good two dozen tight ropes, the ends of the ropes tied to screws jutting from the wall. "Are you sure that's safe?" Altessa questioned, turning to face Kimberly, who frowned as well.   
  
"No, it almost killed Clear last time but it was the only place for it to go, there's no more space in the closet with all of Thomas' other junk." Kimberly shot her boyfriend an almost comical look, and he smiled slightly in return.   
  
Altessa sighed and turned around to face the others, who were getting slightly antsy. As soon as he saw that he had someone's attention, Richard stood up, looking impatient. "Look, I'm not going to stay here any longer if someone doesn't start talking about what the hell is going on here. I don't think this is a police investigation." He snapped, standing up and pushing past the teenager, heading toward the kitchen table, where everyone had piled their coats and purses.   
  
"Yeah, what's going on? Why did you want us all to meet here? I don't even you know guys." Skye added, looking from Kimberly to Thomas and finally at Altessa, who didn't have an expression to offer her.   
  
"I know this is kinda hard to understand but Death is after us." Altessa explained bluntly, hoping that it would prove to be the best tactic. Skye looked surprised and slightly  
  
horrified, whereas Scott simply looked at her like she was completely crazy.   
  
Richard laughed, grabbed his coat and holding it as he looked at the teenager. "Have you listened to yourself? Have you realized that everything you just said is enough to get you admitted into a mental ward?" He questioned without a trace of humor in his words, sounding anxious and even a bit frightened.   
  
Altessa sighed, not in the mood to fight with anyone, especially not after the quarrel with her mother. She turned to face Kimberly and Thomas and her gaze fell to the police belt that Thomas had around his waist, which he had undoubtedly put on to make an impression on the other survivors, noticing it for the first time. "Is that gun loaded?" She questioned, unable to stop herself, feeling the hairs on the back of her neck prickle as she looked at the iron muzzle.   
  
Thomas frowned and looked down at the gun, feeling stupid for even having it out after what Altessa had told them earlier in the day. "Sorry," he mumbled, slipping it slowly out of his belt and clicking a small switch. "The safety's on now."   
  
He set the gun down on the desk and as soon as he did, there was a loud crack; Altessa cried out sharply in surprise and ducked instinctively, reflexes bred from pain and fear. There was a low gyrating sound as two of the ropes that held the kayak snapped, sending the boat sailing through the air.   
  
Altessa looked up in time to see the blue kayak slice through the air, hitting Richard's exposed neck dead on; the apartment was filled with a thick cracking sound as the neck bones were torn free from the spinal column, shedding blood, gristle and marrow across the carpet as the militated head dropped to the ground. The body followed seconds later, knocking into the kayak as it swung backward, creating a pendulum.   
  
Skye screamed and buried her face in her boyfriend's chest, looking close to passing out; Kimberly's eyes grew wide as she jerked her gaze away from the body, looking at the ground below her. Altessa stood up slowly, shaking and heading over to where Kimberly, Thomas and Shane stood. "If I hadn't ducked..." She mumbled, unable to finish the rest of the sentence.   
  
"I don't understand." Shane mumbled, feeling oddly displaced. "How did that happen?"   
  
Thomas crossed to where the kayak had once hung and examined the plaster above his head. "It looks like a bullet struck the wall, which would have severed the ropes." He muttered, seeing the perfectly formed circle in the cracked wall. But he didn't understand, though he was seeing it, didn't understand because he had clicked the safety on seconds before seating the gun down. And it shouldn't have gone off like that, regardless.   
  
Kimberly picked up Thomas' gun, feeling that the muzzle was slightly warm. Her face paled as she studied the weapon closer. "My God..." She mumbled breathlessly. "I don't understand...the safety's still on."   
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
Okay, I got the Death from the second movie but I like it when people get their heads cut off. On a completely different note, my puppy is going into a very dangerous surgery tomorrow and if you guys wouldn't mind keeping her in your thoughts and prayers, I would really appreciate it. Also, the sequel to "Why Can't I?" for those of you who have read it has a title so it will begin to be posted very soon. Review! 


	19. Chapter Nineteen: Instincts

I love all of my reviewers! I love them all! Thanks for the best wishes on my puppy, she is doing much better. And thanks to ScribbleDribble's wonderful comments and to everyone's sweet reviews! I'm glad everyone liked the Death, even though it wasn't completely original. The next Death's are so please review!  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
Chapter Nineteen   
  
Instincts   
  
No one said anything after Kimberly spoke, everyone was too shocked, frightened or confused to even process the smallest word to speak. Altessa sighed and slid down to the floor, leaning against the wall and sitting Indian-style, averting her eyes from the headless corpse that lay sprawled near the kitchen table. She didn't quite understand what had transpired, with the gun and the safety but she did understand that it was confusing and that Death didn't play by the same rules any longer.   
  
Kimberly set the gun back on the table and sighed as well, walking over to join Thomas, who was still inspecting the wall. "I don't understand; how could the gun have gone off if the safety was still on?" She muttered, causing him to look over at her, with the same confused expression on his face that she wore.   
  
"Maybe it's like what happened with Eugene, when the gun wouldn't go off because it wasn't his turn to die; I guess it's even more obvious now that Death can mess with inanimate objects to...kill." It wasn't the word that Thomas was searching for but it was the only word that came to mind.   
  
"So, what you're saying is that Death, or whatever, can use anything to kill us?" Skye asked, causing everyone to turn and face her, surprised that she had spoken at all. When Kimberly and Thomas nodded, she sighed and dropped back against the couch. "Great. I guess I believe you now."   
  
It was a small victory, but one nonetheless in the scheme of things; if Skye and Scott believed the threat was real, they would take it much more seriously and had a better chance of survival. "Who's going to die next?" Scott asked, looking at Altessa,, who stared at him blankly. "If you knew that we were going to die and you see to know so much about...Death, then who's going to die next?" He wasn't sure he wanted an answer, but that didn't stop him from asking regardless.   
  
Altessa sighed and said, "We don't know, that's the thing. Since everyone died at once in my vision, we have no idea who is going to die next, there's no order." Her gaze moved across the room, scanning all of the anxious survivors and it pained her to think that anyone of them could die at any moment. And her mother, who had refused to come to the meeting, could be dead that very moment for all she knew.   
  
Skye buried her face in her hands, shoulders sagging, hair obscuring her face. "I still can't believe this is happening, I mean, I'm getting married..." She trailed off, deciding it would be best to keep her self-pity to herself. People had already died, at least she still had a fighting chance.   
  
"The only way we have a chance of figuring out who's next is by watching out for the Signs, anything that's overly ironic or just...wrong." Kimberly added, trying to provide Scott, Skye and Shane with as much information as she possibly could. "It can be anything, songs on the radio, anything, so don't ignore it."   
  
"But how are we supposed to know what the Signs mean if we don't know who's next to die?" Scott asked, bringing up a point that Kimberly had thought about a good many times. She had no answer for him, no one did, and the question was left open.   
  
The apartment was silent once again, the silence broken by Kimberly, who sighed when she glanced over at the corpse that had been Richard Louis. "We need to do something with the body." She stated, though she didn't know what. "At least cover it up or something, there are towels in the bathroom." And with that, the brunette headed down the short hallway toward the small bathroom. After a moment's pause, Altessa followed her, disappearing just as Kimberly had done.   
  
Altessa shut the bathroom door behind her, which startled Kimberly and caused her to turn around, looking slightly relieved when she saw that it was only the teenager. "Sorry." Altessa mumbled by way of an apology. "I need to talk to you; I know there's no order but I think I know who's going to be next, it's a feeling but..."   
  
Kimberly pursed her lips, brow knitting. "It's important to trust those 'feelings', who is it Altessa?" She questioned, heart beginning to hammer in her chest. She was certain that the teenager was going to say her name, or Thomas' and she didn't think she was quite ready to hear that.   
  
Altessa took a deep breath and frowned as well. "I think, I think it's Shane; every time I look at him I get this weird feeling, like someone poured cold water down my spine and in my stomach. I don't get it when I look at you, or anyone else, so what else could it be?" She wanted desperately for Kimberly to tell her that she was wrong, that it was just her nerves that caused the feeling. She had already lost her best friend, she couldn't lose her boyfriend too.   
  
Kimberly saw Altessa's pleading look and wanted to reassure the teenager, understood what she was feeling but didn't have to offer her. She had a feeling that the girl's unease was the only Sign they were going to get and that she was hitting it head on about her boyfriend being the next one on the List. Instead she said, "You might be right, Altessa, but we won't let anything happen to him, I promise."   
  
Altessa nodded once, turning away from the brunette and walking over to the towel rack that was bolted next to the shower, pulling down two sets of towels. Her elbow bumped into the glass shower doors and she noticed how rickety they appeared, swaying on their rusty hinges. "Your shower doors are loose." She told Kimberly, a semi-warning to be remembered later, just in case.   
  
Kimberly nodded once, pulling a few towels from the cabinet beneath the sink. "This apartment is a piece of crap, everything is broken or breaking." She remarked as the two women left the tiny bathroom and rejoined everyone in the living room. Silently, they set about covering Richard; Altessa draped a single towel over the man's head, which was laying a few feet away from the body.   
  
"We should call the police so they can come get the body." Altessa mumbled, looking over at Kimberly, who dropped a towel over Richard's torn neck without looking down, nose wrinkled comically.   
  
The brunette turned her gaze over to the teenager, raising an eyebrow. "And tell them what?" She questioned, looking relieved when the corpse was completely covered.   
  
"The truth." Altessa offered, shrugging her shoulders and sighing. "As much fun as this has been, I think I need to go home and check on my mother." She pursed her lips, feeling worried for Amanda's sake but the feelings she felt for her didn't compare to how she felt for Shane.   
  
Kimberly nodded once, stepping away from the body and grabbing the keys to her silver VW Beetle off the desk. "Right, I'll drive you." She offered, turning to face Thomas, who looked slightly concerned at the thought of his girlfriend going off (in a car, no less) but didn't say anything. "Shane, I'll give you a ride too."   
  
Shane nodded gratefully, and followed his girlfriend and the brunette out of the apartment, looking cautiously around him, seeing everything in a new light, everything as a potential death. Kimberly's car was parked beside Thomas' SUV, mostly unused by still good to have. As Shane climbed into the backseat, he couldn't help but say, "Drive the speed limit and check your blind spots."   
  
Kimberly couldn't help but roll her eyes as she backed the car out of the parking lot. "Thanks for the advice but, after the pileup last year, I'm the most cautious driver you can meet." She assured him, though she felt like she was reassuring herself as well.   
  
The ride was silent, no one really knowing what to say; Altessa still felt the icy feeling whenever she looked at Shane but she didn't say anything about it. Shane was already worried enough and she figured it wouldn't do any good to get him worked up about his possible Death, though it was almost inevitable.   
  
The silence was broken suddenly when Kimberly's cell phone rang, causing everyone to jump; the brunette glanced down and pulled the cell phone free from her pocket, fearing that it would be Thomas calling for with warning, looking slightly relieved when the implanted Caller ID reported that it was only her father. She cast an apologetic glance to Altessa, who looked just as worried as she felt and answered the phone. "Hey Dad, what's up?"   
  
Altessa sighed in relief and glanced ahead, seeing that a road block was set up in front of them to protect a road construction site, complete with upraised nails to further deter people from coming through. It was something Kimberly had missed when she had reached down the answer the phone, and she still didn't appear to notice the blockade. "Kimberly! Watch out!" The teenager cried.   
  
Kimberly slammed down on the breaks, though it wasn't in time to keep them from rolling over the nails, all four tires popping; the Beetle swerved, spinning twice in a full circle, tires squealing in resistance. The car finally came to a stop when the right side crashed into the side of a drilling truck, puncturing through the metal of the back area. Altessa cried out in surprise, grateful that she had not been impaled by the curled metal drill, just as grateful that Shane had chosen to sit behind Kimberly.   
  
"Is everyone okay?" Kimberly asked, turning to look behind her, as well as over at Altessa, who nodded slowly. She realized that her father was still on the other line of her cell phone, sounding very concerned for his only daughter and she promised to call him back later. She unbuckled her seatbelt and slid out of the car, sighing deeply at yet another close call.   
  
Shane climbed out behind her and Altessa got out of her respective side, joining her friends. "That was close." Shane mumbled, heart beat finally returning to normal. Kimberly and Altessa nodded their agreement; Altessa sighed as she turned to face the car, brow knitting when she realized that the gas tank had been punctured and was leaking gasoline onto the asphalt.   
  
She looked up, feeling the very familiar sensation of fear coming upon her as she watched the gasoline trickle down the road; it was only until the smell of smoke tickled her nose that she realized what was about to happen. One of the less concerned construction workers was smoking a cigarette and was taking one final drag on the butt before flicking it onto the ground beneath him. To Altessa, the whole scene seemed like something directly out of a movie, the chain of events being set up so clearly that one had to be an idiot to not see what was about to happen. The cigarette would catch the gasoline on fire and the trail would lead back to Kimberly's car, which would catch fire as well and surely kill them all in the following explosion.   
  
Before Altessa could even open her mouth to cry a warning, the worker flicked the cigarette directly into the steam of gasoline, which ignited immediately, the fire snaking backward toward the battered Beetle. The teenager's fumbled warning was smothered by the deafening explosion, the second one Altessa had heard that day; the power of the blast knocked everyone in the vicinity backwards, slamming Kimberly and Altessa into the concrete.   
  
When the smoke cleared some, Kimberly sat up slowly, touching the back of her skull and feeling a bump where her head had hit the asphalt; her drew her fingers away and saw that there was no blood, which was a good sign. Checking herself over, she decided that she was okay for the most part, a little bruised, battered and singed but all right considering how close she had been to the car when it had exploded. She took that as proof that it hadn't been her turn to die.   
  
Kimberly stood up, gingerly testing her feet, brushing dirt and ash off the front of her shirt. It was then that she remembered Altessa and Shane and she turned around, eyes searching through the din and smoke for them.   
  
The sound of Altessa's panicked, frightened scream caused Kimberly to whirl around, finally able to locate the teenager, who was on her palms and knees on the concrete, staring straight ahead, pale face awash with panic. Kimberly followed her line of sight and saw what had caused Altessa's screams.   
  
Shane had been thrown backwards by the blast as well, though he hadn't been as lucky as the girls had been; the teenager had fallen on the row of nails, their metal tips impaling him through the neck. The tips had punctured all the way through, dripping with blood and torn flesh.   
  
Kimberly dropped to her knees as well, looking away from the corpse of Altessa's boyfriend; Altessa had been right after all, her uneasy feelings proving to be the only Sign that they would get. She wanted to go to the teenager and offer her what little comfort she could but Kimberly found herself unable to move, rooted to her spot.   
  
Another 'survivor' was dead and Kimberly couldn't help but feel that she was somewhat responsible; if she had been watching the road instead of messing with her cell phone she might have seen the blockade in time. She bowed her head and listened to Altessa's soft sobs, unable to do anything other then stare at the concrete.   
  
  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
That chapter was kinda lame, sorry about that; Shane's death was kinda rushed, I just thought of the idea while I was watching this and it kinda comes from the movie "Urban Legend". I couldn't remember the official name for the nails that they lay on the road, sorry; as for the truck with the drill, I pass one every time I go to my dad's house because they're doing road work, so I hope someone knows what I'm talking about. It's a big truck with a curled drill that makes holes in the ground. Anyway, please review! 


	20. Chapter Twenty: Safe and Sound

Thanks to ScribbleDribble for the first review of the new chapter, there might be more but I'm in school right now so I have no idea. I'm sorry you got so upset about Shane's Death but, sadly, it had to be done. Please review and enjoy, the story is close to being finished.  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
Chapter Twenty   
  
Safe and Sound   
  
Kimberly was finally able to drag herself out of the stupor she had slipped into when she heard the all too familiar scream of ambulance sirens. When the scene had finally become clear, a good-citizen construction worker had no doubt phoned an ambulance, though it was painfully clear that it was too late to save Shane. She managed to stagger to her feet, feeling much more light-headed then she had before she had seen the latest corpse.   
  
Altessa was still on her knees, near her dead boyfriend, though she had stopped sobbing and was now staring at the cracks in the ground. She didn't look up when Kimberly knelt beside her, placing her palm on the girl's shoulder. Finally, the teenager lifted her face, looking up at the brunette, cheeks covered with ash and streaked with tears. "I knew, Kimberly, I knew he was going to die. I knew it. I could have...I should have saved him." She sighed deeply, trying to hold back the tears that had yet to fall.   
  
"There's nothing you could have done, Altessa, it's not your fault." Kimberly assured her strongly, saying the words that she wished to hear in her regard. "If...if I had been watching the road, if I had seen the blockade in time then maybe..."   
  
Altessa's eyes widened and she shook her head fiercely. "No, Kimberly, it is not your fault." Her words were filled with a strange mixture of emotions that Kimberly couldn't sort out and wasn't quite sure if she wanted to.   
  
Kimberly stood and pulled Altessa to her feet, the teenager looking slightly grateful for the assistance; she was certain that she would have stayed on her knees until Death circled around to get her, if the decision had been hers. "Come on, Altessa, I think you need to be home right now." Kimberly mumbled, hoping that being in a familiar setting would ease the pain that the teenager was feeling, though surely not by much.   
  
"How are we going to get there? Your car..." Altessa trailed off, deciding that such a question was absurd in the wake of her boyfriend's death.   
  
Kimberly frowned, forgetting the situation for the moment. "Oh...my car..." She mumbled, knowing now wasn't the time to mourn the loss of her beloved sixteenth birthday present, but she couldn't help herself. "I guess we'll just walk then."   
  
Altessa cast a final, pained glace at her dead boyfriend, noticing how his once beautiful eyes were now glassy, staring upward, frozen in a death stare. She turned her head away, knowing that she couldn't afford to lose herself in grief. When everyone was safe and Death beaten, her pain would come in rivers. It was only as they were headed down the cracked sidewalk, leaving the accident site behind, that Altessa noticed that Kimberly was limping slightly. "Kimberly, are you all right?" She questioned, a look of concern crossing her face.   
  
Kimberly frowned and then shrugged her shoulders. "I think I twisted my ankle I fell." She mumbled, shifting her weight. "I think I'll be okay...better then most."   
  
Altessa nodded, knowing exactly what the brunette meant; Kimberly should be more then grateful that the only injury she had suffered was a possibly sprained ankle. The rest of the walk was taken in silence, both women too over-whelmed and exhausted to even think about making conversation. Altessa walked slow so she didn't leave the limping Kimberly behind; both girls seemed almost unwilling to let the other out of their sight. The survivors were dropping like flies, with no reprieve or answer in sight and either one of them could be next. Altessa and Kimberly knew that now was no time to be careless.   
  
Finally, the two story Adams house came into view and Altessa stopped and turned to face Kimberly, who seemed to be staring past the teenager at something unseen. "Kimberly?" The brunette's gaze quickly returned to Altessa's face. "You should come inside, get some ice for your ankle or something. Maybe you should call Thomas to come pick you up, I'd hate for you to have to walk home alone." She didn't want Kimberly's sprain to become worse but she also didn't want her friend out entirely on her own, either.   
  
Kimberly seemed almost to be debating the idea but she finally nodded, looking over at the house for a moment before back at the teenager. "That might be a good idea." She mumbled finally, nodded once as though answering to a question only she could hear.   
  
Altessa saw something in her eyes that she wanted desperately to ask Kimberly about but decided to let it rest for the time being; if it were something important then Kimberly would surely say something. She led the way up the walk to the front door, opening it slowly and peaking inside; she could hear the muffled sound of the television coming from the living room, which signaled that her mother was at least home. But, for all Altessa knew, Amanda could be dead in front of the television, another victim of yet another freak accident.   
  
Amanda was not dead before the television, still alive and wallowing in her grief, ignoring her only surviving child when she called her name. Altessa sighed deeply, looking at Kimberly for a brief moment before returning her gaze to the back of her mother's head. "Mother? I just wanted to let you know that I brought my friend Kimberly over because she hurt her ankle and is going to call her boyfriend to come pick her up." Altessa told her, not surprised when her mother didn't give any sign of having heard her. "Oh yeah, I also wanted to let you know that Shane is dead." And with those words, the teenager turned and headed into the kitchen, followed slowly by Kimberly, who took a seat at the kitchen table.   
  
At her daughter's final words, Amanda finally took notice and turned around, only to see an empty hallway behind her. Switching off the television, she stood up and left the living room, heading into the kitchen, where her daughter was filling a dishtowel with ice cubes while a brunette twenty-something woman was dialing numbers on the cordless phone. "Altessa, what are you talking about? Shane is dead?" Amanda questioned, looking her daughter over once and noting her haggard appearance. "And what in the hell happened to you?"   
  
Altessa looked up, looking almost surprised to hear her mother's voice. "Gee, Mom, I'm surprised you even noticed." The teenager snapped, folding the towel up and handing it to Kimberly, who took it and placed it upon her slightly swollen ankle. "Remember all that stuff I told you about before I left earlier? About how Death has a Design and it's after us because it's our time to die? Well, I wasn't bull-shitting you."   
  
Amanda opened her mouth to snap back but remained silent when she glanced over at Kimberly, who was attempting to appear as inconspicuous as possible. "Altessa, let me speak with you, in the living room." She commanded instead, biting back her retort for later.  
  
After a moment's mental debate, the teenager followed her mother out of the living room, leaving Kimberly alone to explain the latest events to her worried boyfriend. Once in the living room, Amanda turned to face her daughter, face a mask of anger and grief. "Altessa, why are you doing this? Why do you insist on continuing to break up death; I understand that you're upset about the fact that your father and brother died, I am too, but it's not going to make it any better to make up 'conspiracy theories' about why they died. People die all the time, Altessa and..."   
  
For the first part of the conversation, Altessa could only listen to her mother with a sort of stunned amazement; her mother was actually attempting to have a real 'heart to heart' with her daughter. But, after another second's pause, she could listen to no more and shouted, "I am not making this up! Miss McAnderson is dead, Morgan and Shane are dead! If you ask me, that's more then a god-damn coincidence!"   
  
When her daughter's shouts finally subsided, Amanda stared at her, too stunned to retort for a moment. Finally, her strength gone, she only muttered, "Enough Altessa." It did little more then make her daughter even more upset.   
  
"Enough of what Mother? I'm trying to help you, trying to make you understand that this is for real." Altessa mumbled, drained, having no more energy to deal with her mother or with Death and the whole ordeal  
  
Amanda looked as though she was about to say something but instead she turned away from her daughter, exiting the living room and heading up the stairs, unable to listen to anything else her daughter might have to say. Altessa watched her mother disappear and sighed deeply, not even having the energy to call after her, or even shed a tear. Instead, she headed back into the kitchen, where Kimberly was still sitting at the kitchen table, off the phone and holding the ice bag against her ankle. She looked over at the teenager when she entered, a look of concern upon her face. "Altessa, I'm sorry-" She began but the teenager cut her off by shrugging her shoulders.   
  
"There's nothing more I can say; she wants to die." Altessa mumbled, her words startling Kimberly slightly, though she understood where they were coming from. Nora had spoken similar words to her a year ago, saying that if it was her turn to die and re-join her family in Heaven then she was okay with that; but Amanda still had a sliver of family left.   
  
"Thomas is on his way over, you're welcome to come back with us." Kimberly offered, understanding that the teenager had no desire to stay in her once sweet home any longer. Even if they found a way to beat the Design and save themselves, Death had still won in a way, having destroyed the Adams family beyond repair.   
  
Altessa looked at Kimberly, face falling into an unreadable expression as she studied her friend. "We've got to beat this thing Kimberly, no matter what." She mumbled, words almost inaudible, though Kimberly heard what she was saying. Though, to her, it sounded as though the teenager's words weren't for her own benefit but the benefit of the other survivors.   
  
Kimberly stood, joining Altessa before heading toward the front door with the teenager in tow. "We will, don't worry." She replied, not sure if her words were meant to be reassuring or simply a stated fact. Either way, it seemed satisfy the teenager, who remained silent.   
  
* * *   
  
When Thomas' SUV pulled into the driveway, Kimberly got to her feet, relieved to see that he had made it in one piece; she knew that she would feel relieved whenever she saw any of the survivors, since they had no way of knowing when the time would come when they might never see each other again. Thomas looked just as relieved, drawing the brunette into a tight embrace, which she returned with equal emotion. "I was worried about you, Kimberly, I'm glad you're safe." He mumbled as he kissed her on the cheek.   
  
"Safe." Kimberly muttered the word, which seemed foreign to her. "For now."  
  
Altessa stood and silently walked toward the SUV, getting into the back behind the passenger seat and disappearing behind the high seat in front of her, giving off the impression that she would wait patiently as long as need be. Kimberly turned her head away from where the teenager now sat and pulled away from Thomas, sighing and closing her eyes for a brief second. She couldn't shut them for much longer then that, fearing the images that she might see behind her eyelids. Thomas' concerned words brought her attention back to his face. "Is she all right?" He questioned, gaze flickering over to the SUV before returning to his girlfriend's face.   
  
"Everyone she loves is dead. I don't think so." Kimberly answered, realizing that her statement wasn't exactly true, since Altessa's mother was still alive. This was a fact that Thomas knew but if he picked up on her oversight, he didn't let on, accepting her words at face value, as he did most of what she said.   
  
Thomas gave her shoulder a comforting squeeze before saying, "Once we figure out how to beat the Design, we'll help her become okay again. Help her make it out safe and sound. Help all of us." He assured the brunette, holding her gaze.   
  
Kimberly pulled him into an embrace once again, burying her face against his chest, feeling protected when he wrapped his arms around her. As desperate and impossible the whole situation was, she almost believed Thomas' words just that moment, enveloped in his arms. She believed that they would all be safe and sound once again.   
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
This was kind of a nothing chapter, but I felt like my lovely readers needed a little break from all the Deaths that will, of course, return in the next chapter. The title comes from the wonderful song by Cheryl Crow of the same name, and I'm going to use it again later on. Also, a very, very special and heartfelt "thank you" to ScribbleDribble. She knows just what those words are for. Please review. 


	21. Chapter TwentyOne: Roses

Chapter Twenty-One   
  
Roses   
  
Once back at the apartment that had evolved into the headquarters of the survivors, for lack of a better term, no one really knew what to do. Thomas had left Skye and Scott with the police, answering questions about Richard Louis' death and now they were gone, the young couple having answered the officers' questions enough to satisfy them. The corpse was gone as well, though most of the bath towels had been left behind, hiding bloody stains with their cheery fabric. Kimberly stared down at the spots on the ground and wondered if the stains would ever come out, or if the no-longer white carpet would be rust colored forever. Would the small place ever seem like home again?   
  
Kimberly and Altessa sat down on the couch while Thomas busied himself in the kitchen ,offering to make coffee, the all-purpose drink it seemed. Altessa buried her head in her hands with a sigh, a noise that seemed to be passing her lips quite often. Sighing was better then sobbing and the teenager couldn't believe that she still had tears left to cry, after everything that had happened. Tears that would soon undoubtedly fall once again when Death made its next move. The teenager lifted her head and turned to face Kimberly, who was leaning back against the couch with her eyes closed, likely pretending she was anywhere but where she was. "When is this going to be over Kimberly? When we're all dead?" Altessa couldn't help but ask, the words passing her lips before she could even think about what she was saying.   
  
Kimberly opened her eyes and looked at the teenager, who was still staring at her. "No, Altessa. I hope it'll be over before then." If she had spoken those words a year ago, she might have actually believed them, believed that they still had a fighting chance. But now, with four survivors dead and no order to protect against, she wasn't sure how true those words really were.   
  
If Altessa picked up on her unease and inner turmoil, she didn't show it and seemed to decide it was better to accept Kimberly's words at face value. Thomas re-entered the living room, balancing three lukewarm mugs of what was assumed to be coffee; he handed one to Kimberly, one to Altessa and kept one for himself, dropping down next to the brunette. Altessa sipped her drink, wrinkled her nose and then set her cup on the coffee table before her, having had enough of the liquid inside the mug.   
  
Kimberly rolled her shoulders backward, as though attempting to dislodge the tension that knotted up her muscles; her exercise did no good and instead she stood, heading over to the still safety-proofed oaken desk. "It's too quiet in here." She mumbled by way of explanation for her actions, pulling a portable radio out of the bottom desk drawer and switching it on.   
  
"Police are still skeptical about the cause of the accident, though they do not believe that there is any foul play involved. Investigators report that the likely cause was a chain reaction brought on by a collusion between a VW Beetle and a now unknown object, puncturing the gas tank and leaking gasoline, which was then ignited by what is believed to be a cigarette and thus set off the explosion. Police are still confused by the fact that only one person was injured in the resulting explosion, a teenage boy who was impaled on-" Kimberly quickly hit the tuning dial on the radio, ending the news reporter in mid-sentence. Altessa frowned, pained, though she looked grateful for the brunette's actions and remained silent.   
  
Kimberly turned the dial until she picked up a clear station through the static; the station was currently in the middle of a song but the brunette left it where it was, the music serving the purpose it was meant for: elevating some of the overbearing silence.   
  
Altessa's eyes grew wide when she heard the song playing, first full of disbelief before beginning to brim with tears. "Do you realize that everyone you know some day will die? And instead of saying all of your goodbyes, let them know you realize that life goes fast." The lead singer was serenading, his words bringing chills down the teenager's spine.   
  
"My God...this song..." She mumbled, catching the attention of Kimberly and Thomas, who looked at her confused and intrigued. "My father used to sing this song to me when I was young." She explained, feeling a tear trickle down her cheek. That afternoon her father had asked if she had remembered the song but she hadn't answered him; now she realized that she did remember, remembered the song from a time that was much more simple then the one she lived in now. Hearing the song brought back the painful bite of losing her father, a wound that hadn't even had the time to hurt properly.   
  
Kimberly pursed her lips and resting a gentle hand on Altessa's shoulder. "I'm sorry Altessa." She mumbled, getting up to go switch the radio off, but the teenager stopped her with a slightly shake of her head.   
  
"I heard this song that day." She murmured, more to herself then to the two beside her. She remembered the chill that she had felt when she had the words in the refrain, trying to make sense of what the anonymous singer was saying. "Do you realize that everyone you know will die?"   
  
Suddenly, a disturbing fact dawned upon her and she turned to face Kimberly, eyes wide again, this time with fear. "The last time I heard this song, my father died. You don't think...you don't think it could be Sign...my mother..." She trailed off, hoping that Kimberly could the jist of what she was trying to say.   
  
Kimberly's eyes grew wide as well for a second as she registered the teenager's words. It was a good a Sign as any; Clear had told her to watch out for anything, including the songs on the radio. And if Altessa had last year that song before her father had died then there was a good chance that it was predicting the same fate for her mother. "I'm waiting around to find out. Come on." Kimberly muttered, shutting the radio as she headed toward the front door.   
  
Altessa didn't need to be told twice.   
  
* * *   
  
When Amanda Adams was upset, the only thing that seemed to channel her anger was gardening. And Amanda was upset now. The things her daughter had said were beginning to get to her, beginning to make her think and question and she wasn't ready to experience such emotions. Thinking only made her remember the death of her husband and seeing her son killed in a bizarre accident right in front of her. And she was didn't want to think for a second that what Altessa had said had any ground in truth and reality, she didn't want to believe that she was going to die. Amanda wasn't quite sure she was ready for Death just yet; she was, in her mind, a survivor and she wanted to prove that by moving past the loss of half of her family and living to be an old woman.   
  
Amanda headed downstairs, passing the empty rooms of her children; both rooms seemed completely devoid of life, even though one of their inhabitants was still alive. In Altessa's room, she could see the few things that had made it her daughter's: the teddy bear her late boyfriend had given her, pictures of her and Morgan. Altessa's desk was cluttered with computer-printed out articles about freak accidents and the explosion of Flight 180 a year ago; a newspaper clipping told about Kimberly Corman, who had predicted a horrid pileup a year ago.   
  
Seeing the paper only seemed to enrage Amanda's anger; she snatched up the article and tore it in half, as though doing so would bring the end to all of her problems. Altessa had never spoken of death as frequently as she was now, not before she had met this Kimberly Corman. Amanda looked at the brunette's picture for a second before balling it and tossing it into the wastebasket.   
  
Finally, Amanda turned and left the room, not allowing herself to think about how strange is was that both of Altessa's best friends were dead, as were two of her family members and her old science teacher. "People die all the time." She repeated, mumbling to herself as she shut the bedroom door behind her.   
  
She headed through the silent house toward the garage, where she kept all of her gardening equipment. Amanda slid her pruning sheers down from their hook and then changed her mind, deciding that she wasn't going to be trimming any hedges but instead tending to her roses in their planters on the upstairs balcony. She chose instead a smaller pair of sheers and her trowel, forgoing a pair of gloves.   
  
Despite a semi-large garden in the front of the house, Amanda had cultivated a smaller garden bred only in window boxes and pots to decorate the concrete balcony that extending from the master bedroom. The bedroom that she now slept in alone.   
  
And that was where she was headed now, humming ever so silently to herself to get rid of some of the oppressive silence. Amanda opened the French doors that led to the balcony, picked up the three-legged stool she sometimes sat on so her knees didn't get sore but then decided against it, laying the stool in the foyer in case she changed her mind.   
  
The roses seemed wilted, in need of water, despite the recent rains from the previous week. Amanda lightly touched the dying petals absently, no longer feeling much like gardening, laying her tools on the concrete. Instead, she crossed to the end of the balcony, resting her arms on the rusting iron railing that framed the edge of the concrete; she gazed downward, taking in the concrete slab that served as their deck and the well taken care of lawn around it.   
  
Amanda's brow knitted as she heard an almost inaudible grating sound; she took her gaze away from the lawn and looked down at the balcony, though she didn't know what she expected to see. Nothing looked amiss so Amanda thought nothing of it, leaning against the railing with a sigh, closing her eyes.   
  
It was at that moment that the railing gave way, the rusty screws no longer able to hold Amanda's weight, and pitched the woman forward onto the concrete deck.   
  
* * *   
  
Altessa all but leapt from Thomas' SUV as he pulled into the driveway, not bothering to wait until the car was completely motionless. Kimberly followed after her, as did Thomas, not bothering to take the keys from the ignition. The teenager turned to face them. "I'm going to check around back, Kimberly you check upstairs and Thomas you check downstairs; the doors should be unlocked." And with that, she rushed around the right side of the house, leaving Kimberly and Thomas to run up the front walk.   
  
Kimberly threw the door open and rushed up the stairs; Thomas began methodically searching the downstairs area, relieved when every room turned up empty. He finally entered the kitchen, which offered a view of the sparse concrete deck. He saw Amanda Adams lying on the concrete, a pool of blood blooming out from beneath her. Thomas breathed a short sigh of relief when he noticed that her chest was still rising and falling, a sign that she was still alive for the moment.   
  
* * *   
  
Altessa stopped in her tracks when she saw her mother, lying in a puddle of blood. 'I can't be too late, don't let me be too late,' she prayed as she rushed forward, dropping to her knees beside her mother, who was still breathing slowly. "Mom? Mom are you all right?" It seemed like a stupid question but it was the only one that she could think to ask.   
  
Amanda's eyes fluttered open at the sound of her daughter's words and she moved her head slightly, wincing in pain at the large wound on the back of her skull. "Altessa?" She mumbled, a trickle of blood falling past her lips and down her cheek.   
  
"Yeah, Mom, it's me. Don't worry, you're going to be okay, I'll get help." She promised, standing up and turning toward the back door. Thomas opened the doors and rushed outside, his cell phone in his hand as he joined Altessa's side.   
  
"Is she all right?" Thomas asked the teenager, who nodded once, her gaze returning to her mother.   
  
"For now, call for help. I think she fell off the balcony." Altessa commanded, fidgeting uneasily, not quite sure of what to do. Something about the whole ordeal was bothering her in spite of herself. It seemed too lucky that they would arrive in time to save one of the survivors when there had been nothing they could do to save the others. Something just wasn't right...   
  
* * *   
  
Kimberly had searched nearly every room in the upstairs without finding Amanda and she didn't know if she should be worried or relieved. She reached the master bedroom and found the door already opened, a sign that someone had been there recently. Kimberly peered into the bedroom, saw that it was empty and was about to turn and head back downstairs when she saw that the doors leading out the balcony were open as well.   
  
She hurried in the room when she saw that the balcony no longer had a railing; in the back of her mind, Kimberly knew exactly what had happened: Amanda had been leaning against the railing and it had falling and she had fallen onto the ground below...   
  
Below her, Kimberly could hear Kimberly and Thomas speaking, Altessa saying that she thought her mother was okay. That was the first good news Kimberly had heard for a while. She rushed forward toward the balcony, knowing that would be a quicker way to talk to Altessa and Thomas then running all the way downstairs and tripped over something that she hadn't noticed in the doorway.   
  
Carried forward my her running momentum, Kimberly hit the concrete roughly and seemed almost to slid forward a good few feet. She put her hands out to halt herself and keep herself from falling over the edge as well; her palms scraped the rough concrete before knocking into what she would later learn to be a small pair of pruning sheers. Kimberly lifted her head in time to see the sheers tumble over the edge of the balcony, pushed accidentally by her own hand.   
  
Slowly Kimberly pulled herself to her feet, mind filled with foreboding at the sight of the sight of the sheers falling over the edge. Her uneasy feelings were verified when Altessa's shrill screams cut through the air, sounding more panicked and pained then before.   
  
Kimberly hurried to the edge of the balcony and peered downwards, heart lurching when she saw the sight below. Altessa had stopped screaming because she appeared to have fainted, lying limp in Thomas' arms; Thomas was staring wide-eyed Amanda's body, or more specifically the pruning sheers that were imbedded the woman's skull.   
  
Seeing the sheers caused Kimberly to stagger backward, tripping on a trowel behind her and landing roughly on the ground once again. It was her fault that Amanda was dead, more her fault than it was the fact that the survivors were dead. If she had been watching where she was walking, or perhaps not have been in such a hurry to get to the balcony, she wouldn't have tripped and knocking the tool off the edge and then Amanda would still be alive. 


	22. Chapter Twenty Two: Harder to Breathe

Once again, thanks for the reviews, love ya all (especially my darling reader/reviewer/writer ScribbleDribble, it would be cool to turn this into a script). And for the reviewer who made the comment about not referring to the characters by their hair color: I'm sorry if it bothers you but that's the way I write, it's much better then using their names over and over again. Sorry it's taken so long, but here's another chapter and there's another chapter of the musical on the way too, by tomorrow or Thursday by the latest. Please review and enjoy.   
  
Chapter Twenty-Two   
  
Harder to Breathe   
  
Kimberly pressed a wet washcloth against Altessa's forehead, hoping that the cold liquid would revive the teenager long enough for them to decide what their next move was going to be. Once Kimberly had managed to pull herself to her feet and join Thomas on the concrete deck, they had decided it was best to bring the teenager back into the house instead of back to their apartment; now that all of Altessa's family was dead, it was unclear what was going to become of her.   
  
Altessa stirred slightly but didn't open her eyes, though they twitched beneath her eyelids; it was slightly obvious that she wasn't ready to wake just yet, wasn't ready to embrace the painful reality that was the only one that she would know for that moment on. Kimberly stood and turned away from the couch and turned her attention to Thomas, who had his back to her, studying an array of photographs spread across the mantle. She joined his side, eyes sweeping across the framed pictures, ranging from school portraits to photos from family vacations and animals of different species. She sighed deeply and rolled her shoulders, her guilt returning in full force; Death had already won in the strictest sense, for even if they managed to break the Design, Altessa had still lost her family.   
  
Thomas looked over at her, slipping his around loosely around the brunette's waist. "How are you?" He questioned, catching her off guard with his question, something he could see in her eyes.   
  
"What do you mean how am I? I'm the wrong person to be asking such a question; though, I'm not fine...this whole thing, it seems somehow...worse then last year. Though, I don't know how I could say such a thing but..." Kimberly trailed off, realizing that she was babbling with nothing pressing to say.   
  
Thomas nodding sympathetically, as though he understood exactly what point she was trying to make. "It's harder because you think that you should be able to stop everything that's happening, because you've all ready gone through it once." He remarked, causing Kimberly to look at him with a mixture of surprise and affection mixed upon her face.   
  
She was about to reply when the sound of Altessa's voice caused them both to turn around, startled by her sudden speech. "It wasn't a dream, was it?" She asked when she saw that she had both of their attention.   
  
Kimberly pursed her lips, leaving Thomas' side to join the teenager's, sitting next to her on the couch when Altessa drew her knees toward her body. She wasn't exactly sure what to say, but she understood the pain of seeing your mother die, it was a pain she experienced herself a few years ago. Finally, Kimberly finally shook her head, drawing the teenager into a sisterly embrace, hoping to comfort her physically when she couldn't think of anything to say verbally. Altessa returned the brunette's embrace, stifling her tears, refusing to let herself get lost in her grief once more; there were still four more survivors alive, still a chance to save someone. "What do we do next?" Altessa questioned, though she wasn't quite sure where the question had come from or what she was referring to. She didn't know what step to take next when it came to saving the other survivors or salvaging what was left in her own house. No one in her family was still alive and no friends to seek comfort in, aside from Kimberly and Thomas; if not for the other survivors, Altessa wasn't sure she'd continue to even fight.   
  
Kimberly thought about how to answer her question, not sure of what do herself. "Well, for starters, you can come stay with us, if you want." She offered, looking over at Thomas to make sure that he didn't mind her offer. Thomas nodded once in conformation, knowing it was best to offer the teenager a place to stay, for it seemed that there was no other option.   
  
Altessa smiled slightly, for the first time in what seemed like days, meeting eyes with the brunette in front of her. "Really? That would be great; I don't want to stay here anymore, not alone...without my family." She confessed, frowning once more as she thought about her life without her family.   
  
Kimberly nodded, a 'don't mention it' gesture, before standing up and pulling Altessa to her feet as well. "You should pack a bag so we can hurry and get home and check on Scott and Skye. Now that...another survivor is dead, we don't know who's next." She suggested, and Altessa headed upstairs to do just as she recommended.   
  
"So what do we do next?" Thomas asked when the teenager had disappeared up the stairwell. "We don't know who's going to die next and now that every member of her family is dead, how can we tell Altessa is going to be so willing to help us now?" He didn't want to say such words but he figured there was no other way about it. He wasn't so sure if he'd want to help a group of near-strangers if his entire family was dead.   
  
Kimberly didn't even waste a second considering her answer before she spoke. "She'll help us, I know she will." The words weren't even out of her mouth before Altessa was heard heading down the stairs once more, a duffel bag in her hand, dutifully waiting Kimberly's next 'orders.'   
  
It seemed that Kimberly was right for the time being.   
  
* * *   
  
The apartment was just as it had been left before the trio had departed, congealing blood stains and all. Altessa absently threw her duffel on the couch as she followed Kimberly and Thomas into the kitchen, where they were intent on finding something for dinner (though none of them were hungry) and checking up on Skye and Scott. Only to keep her busy, Kimberly began routing around in the refrigerator while Thomas dialed the number to Scott's apartment, leaving Altessa to sit idly at the kitchen table.   
  
"Scott? Yeah, it's Thomas," the officer was saying, and Altessa lent a half ear to their conversation, knowing that there would surely be nothing of interest. "I was just calling to see if you and Skye were all right; another survivor...died, so watch out."   
  
Altessa turned to look at him, a thought popping into her mind so suddenly and forcefully that she found that she couldn't ignore it. "Tell her to watch for cars." She commanded without thinking.   
  
Thomas studied her a split second before relaying the information to Scott and then hanging up, placing the phone back on its cradle. "What was that about?" He questioned, not quite sure he really wanted an answer but that stop him from asking.   
  
Altessa could do nothing but shrug, rolling her shoulders. "A feeling I just got. What harm could it do telling Skye to watch out for cars, she could be next." The teenager remarked and judging by the way she spoke, she seemed almost certain that what she was saying was true.   
  
Kimberly turned around, holding half full Chinese takeout containers in both hands. "Do you see Skye die or what's going to happen to her?" She questioned, laying the boxes on the counter and pulling three plates out of the cabinet above her head.   
  
"No, but as soon as Thomas said Skye's name, I was certain that something bad is going to happen involving a car." Altessa explained, forcing her words to make sense, hoping that Kimberly, at least, saw where she was coming from.   
  
The brunette nodded once, dumping the contents of box onto a plate. "I think we all need to test our instincts now."   
  
* * *   
  
Kimberly picked at her cold Chinese food, pushing it around on her plate with her fork. After Altessa's semi-prediction about Skye's demise, none of them had said much or, in that case, eaten much either. Altessa had done nothing more then simply stare at her plate, as though, if she looked hard enough, she could find all the answers between the rice and sweet and sour chicken. Kimberly finally stood, unable to take the silence any longer. "I don't think any one's going to eat right now, so I'll just put this stuff back in the refrigerator." She offered, glad that she hadn't thrown away the cartons.   
  
Altessa stood as well, grabbing her plate and following Kimberly over to the sink. "I'll help you." She offered, setting her plate down on the counter.   
  
Kimberly turned around to face her, shaking her head. "No, I think you should take a hot, relaxing bath to sooth you and help you get your thoughts together." She recommended, thinking of the remedy that always seemed to help her when she had a lot on her mind.   
  
Altessa finally let herself be talked into submitting to a relaxing bath and headed down the hallway, leaving Kimberly and Thomas alone in the kitchen. Thomas turned to face the brunette, who was busy dumping Chinese back into its container. "Do you think Skye is next?" He questioned.   
  
"Yes." Kimberly answered without hesitation, not even bothering to glance over her shoulder. "I think Altessa's right and I think I feel it too. But it won't do any good to let her know it, just yet; fear just makes people rash and rashness sometimes gets people killed." She advised, causing Thomas to nod, understanding where she was coming from.   
  
After another moment of silence, Kimberly exited the kitchen and entered the living room to retrieve the radio that had warned of Amanda's death earlier. She carried it back into the kitchen, switching it on and settling into the most normal of tasks: washing dishes.   
  
* * *   
  
Altessa sighed and dropped onto the closed toilet seat, watching the warm water cascade from the faucet into the dingy tub. The shower doors rattled every time one of the upstairs neighbors thumped too hard on the floor and she was almost afraid that the doors would just come clattered off their hinges all together. When the tub was filled with lukewarm water, the teenager turned the faucet off, squeezing a few drops of soap into the water and swirling it around until the water was covered with bubbles before slipping into the tub. Altessa let herself sink beneath the surface, shutting her eyes against the bubbles and letting the water run over the top of her head.   
  
She attempted to relax herself but found herself unable to do so, too tense and clouded to let her grief and fear simply slip away. Altessa tried not to think of the violent deaths of her mother, brother, father and best friends but knew that was a lost cause as well. The whole situation seemed like a lost cause, the sort of thing you only continued doing to spite your opponent. Altessa didn't know just how much fight she had left inside of her.   
  
A particularly rough thump caught her attention and she lifted her head, blinking and exhaling her breath. Another thump followed suit and the shower doors rattled even more loudly, grating against their hinges. There was a soft plunk as something landed in the water; Altessa cocked her head curiously, fishing around in the water to retrieve the object that had made the sound. Her face fell and her senses prickled when she saw what she was holding: a tiny, rust covered screw.   
  
Altessa looked over at the shower doors in time to see the one closest to her topple forward, more identical screws preceding its fall. The teenager sunk beneath the water in time to keep the shower door from knocking into her head as it fell across the width of the tub. Altessa lifted her head only to have her forehead knock against the glass, sending a jolt of panic through her body as she realized that she was trapped beneath the heavy glass door, which wouldn't budge no matter how hard she pushed upon it.   
  
There was less then an inch of space between the surface of the water and the shower door and Altessa lifted her head up as far as she could, attempting to suck in a breath and getting little oxygen and more soapy bubbles and water. She pounded on the door, hoping to move it and praying that, if she couldn't, Kimberly or Thomas would hear the banging. "Help me!" She sputtered, spitting out the water that she had inhaled when she had shouted. "Kimberly!"   
  
The door still refused to give way and Altessa began to lose what little hope she still had left in her. They had begun to believe that Skye was next to die but now it seemed that they had missed the mark by a long shot.   
  
* * *   
  
Kimberly continued to wash the few plates that they had used in the past few days, completely unaware of Altessa's peril, the radio drowning out the sounds of the teenager's shouts and half-hearted pounding.   
  
Just like she had the day she left for Daytona, or even a few days ago, Kimberly began to get a bad feeling, the sort of feeling like being watched, though she had begun to understand that these feelings were something different. Her feelings were usually the harbingers of a particularly lethal situation. She looked around cautiously, not quite sure what she was expecting to see; Kimberly was alone in the kitchen, Thomas having left her minutes ago to check the news and she didn't see anything other then the kitchen table and the few knickknacks they had decorated the room with.   
  
Instead, Kimberly returned her attention to the radio and the dishes in her hand; a new, semi-catchy song was playing currently, attempting to fight through the static that was slowly over powering it. "Like a little girl cries in the face of a monster that lives in her dreams: 'is there anyone-'" The lead male sang, before the song completely lost out to the static and the radio picked up a different station.   
  
The song on this station Kimberly recognized as a ballad from a boy band that was popular a few years back. "..You keep me drowning..." The static returned, as did the other station, the song she had been listening to seconds before resuming. "It's getting harder and harder to breathe." The male voice returned, catching Kimberly's full attention now. "Is there anyone out there 'cause it's getting harder and harder to breathe."   
  
What were the odds of both songs on two completely different stations would be about basically the same thing; even metaphorical drowning made it hard to breathe. Were the songs some sort of Sign? Realization suddenly dawned upon her and Kimberly dropped the dish she was holding into the sink without even realizing she had done it.   
  
Understanding exactly what the Sign was warning her of, Kimberly rushed out of the kitchen and down the short hallway; her sudden motions caught Thomas' attention, who turned to regard his girlfriend with interest, attempting to figure out what she was doing. Kimberly threw open the bathroom door and rushed inside, praying that she wasn't too late to save Altessa from whatever Death had manipulated at the moment.   
  
Kimberly saw that one of the shower doors had fallen and had seemingly imprisoned the teenager in the bathtub; Altessa looked seconds away from losing consciousness, still attempting to push at the door that had imprisoned her. "My God..." Kimberly muttered breathlessly, not giving herself anymore time to stand around.   
  
Altessa's eyes flicked when she noticed the brunette but she did nothing more to acknowledge her appearance. Kimberly attempted to work her fingers beneath an opening between the shower door and the side of the bathtub but she could find none. Jerking her hands away in frustration, she shouted for Thomas' help, not bothering to wait until he came to aid as she searched for some way to lift the door off the teenager.   
  
Thomas arrived what seemed like an entirety later, understanding the situation without a word passing between him and Kimberly. "Kimberly, the back of the tub curves, see if there's a gap there." He instructed, checking the front of the tub as he spoke. Kimberly was relieved to see that there was indeed a gap and she quickly slipped her fingers beneath the glass, pushing upward as hard as she could.   
  
From the other end of the tub, Thomas pulled the door upward and Altessa jerked upward suddenly, coughing and retching up the water that she had inhaled seconds earlier, her thick hair draped across her face like a black curtain. Kimberly turned to snatch a towel off the rack, knocking the plugged hair dryer off its spot near the sink, ignoring it when it toppled harmlessly onto the toilet cover. As Thomas propped the shower door against the wall of the shower, Kimberly helped the sputtering teenager out of the water, wrapping the cotton towel around her shoulders. Altessa pulled the towel around her body and slid to the floor, exhausted, leaning against the wall, still struggling to catch her breath.   
  
Kimberly knelt before the girl, a concerned expression upon her face. "Are you all right Altessa?" It was a stupid question, but the one that was asked most in these types of situations.   
  
"I am now, thanks to you." The teenager answered, finally catching her breath, looking at the brunette with a grateful expression upon her damp face. She shivered slightly, knowing that it wasn't from the cold; she could still taste the soapy water in her mouth, could still feel the terror that she had felt when she believed that she was going to die.   
  
Kimberly smiled slightly, grateful for the Signs she had been able to interpret on the radio. She turned back to the tub and spied a pair of rusty screws lying beneath the water and, absently, reached in to pick them up, knowing that they were probably be needed to repair the shower door. Thomas moved to join his girlfriend's side, accidentally jostling the hair dryer as he crossed and knocking the device into the bathtub.   
  
There was a loud pop and Kimberly fell backward, lying motionless on the floor, a dazed expression upon her face. "Kimberly!" Altessa and Thomas cried in unison, both moving toward to the brunette's side.   
  
Kimberly was still for a moment longer before blinking her eyes rapidly and shaking her head, as if to clear it, the dazed expression still upon her face. "Wow, what happened?" She questioned, sitting up slowly, still attempting to regain her focus.   
  
"You were electrocuted." Altessa mumbled, letting out a sigh of relief that the brunette was all right after her near brush with Death.   
  
"I feel...funny." Kimberly muttered, glancing around her, as though to reacquaint herself with her surroundings. She had never been electrocuted before, though it was true that she had escaped Death many times, though none of her near brushes ever involved electricity.   
  
Thomas knelt beside her as well, looping his arm around her back to help her sit up. "Thank God you didn't have both of your hands in the water, or I doubt that you would feel much of anything." He told her, feeling painfully guilty about the events that had just unfolded. Kimberly could be dead that moment all because of his carelessness.   
  
Kimberly let herself be led out of the bathroom but Thomas and Altessa, who was still clutching the towel around her, and sat down upon the couch. The tingling feelings of the shock were beginning to wear off and something else was beginning to dawn about the flustered the brunette. "You know what?" She questioned, causing Thomas and Altessa to glance over at her, surprised by her sudden pensive nature. "Doesn't it almost seem like the visionary is the last to die? It's it kinda weird that Altessa almost drowned right before I almost died too?"   
  
The apartment was silent as everyone let Kimberly's words sink in, looking for a reasonable answer to her question. For the moment, they could find none.   
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
Okay, this chapter was kinda lame but it's another one of my (beginning) attempts to devil in the mythology of Death. I know the Signs and the whole set up were kinda lame, but it's works... "Harder to Breathe" belongs to Maroon 5 and "Drowning" belongs to the Backstreet Boys. So, please review and I promise I'll get the next chapter up sooner. 


	23. Chapter Twenty Three: Connection

Sorry for the long break, but here's another chapter; I have the rest of the story planned out and there's going to be a grand total of 30 chapters, with the last being an epilogue. So, the end is really near this time so thanks for reading and reviewing and keep it up!   
  
Chapter Twenty-Three   
  
Connection   
  
The semi-uncomfortable silence was only broken when Altessa stood and took her duffel bag into the bathroom to change into something other then a wet towel. When she returned, dressed in pajamas with her damp hair pulled back in a ponytail, Kimberly and Thomas still sat in silence, seeming not closer to divulging the answers they were searching for. Finally, Kimberly let out a long sigh and said, "All right, maybe we're going out on too much of a limb here, saying that the visionaries always die last. Perhaps it's just a coincidence."   
  
Thomas nodded in agreement, mulling over her words. "Right, because you were originally supposed to die first with her friends but I pulled you away from the crash." He remarked, raising an eyebrow as he spoke.   
  
"All right, so we've gotten rid of the one theory that we almost had and we're still no closer to figuring out exactly why we had the visions in the first place. I mean, why us? Why exactly are we so much more special than anyone else?" Altessa questioned, sighing in desperation, clearly having had enough with the mind games.   
  
Kimberly shrugged, unsure of exactly how to answer, for if she had the right answers, then they wouldn't be having this discussion in the first place. "What if...what if it wasn't my turn to die in the bathroom. I mean, when have we known Death to screw up on it's own without intervention from someone else? Don't you think that if I was really supposed to die, that I would have?" She asked, raising an eyebrow as she spoke, shuddering as she remembered the feeling of the electricity coursing through her body.   
  
"I think Kimberly's right; it just seems too easy that she'd get away with only some shakes." Altessa remarked, apparently noting her friend's shudders. Kimberly smiled slightly, pursing her lips but remaining silent.   
  
Thomas sighed, leaning back against the couch and burying his head in his hands for a split second before gazing toward Kimberly and Altessa once more. "How is this helping us? I don't know about you two but I'm not too relieved to know that Kimberly's still in line to die." He snapped, a little harsher then he had intended to. He continued, lowering his voice and keeping it steady, "We know that we saved Altessa from death but not Kimberly and he still have no idea what makes you two so special."   
  
The apartment was silent once more; Altessa furrowed her brow, chewing on her bottom lip as she thought. "I remember, in middle school or something, that we learned about the presidents." She remarked, noticing Kimberly and Thomas' confused looks, which forced her to continue her random thought. "We spent a lot of time on the important presidents, you know, George Washington, Roosevelt, whatever. And Abraham Lincoln."   
  
Before Altessa could continue Thomas interrupted her by saying, "How, exactly, is this relevant to us? We really don't need a history lesson right now."  
  
Altessa shot him a mildly angry, but more impatient, look before finishing what she had started. "We when studied Abraham Lincoln, we learned that he had supposedly predicted his own death, a few weeks before it had happened. I'm just saying, don't you think that might be relevant?" The teenager clearly chose her last word for Thomas' benefit, shooting him yet another look before turning her attention to Kimberly, who looked deep in thought.   
  
"I think you just might be onto something, Altessa." The brunette remarked, brow furrowed as well. "And you know, now, the press are saying that Princess Diana supposedly predicted her own death as well."   
  
For a brief moment, Thomas thought that they were about to uncover exactly how to beat the Design once a for all, but an argument dawned upon him. "But, from what I know, none of those people were actually able to predict how they were going to die, only that their death was near. That doesn't fit in with your premonitions, because you know exactly how and when."   
  
Altessa sighed, feeling the same sense of defeat that Thomas had felt seconds earlier. She knew the whole situation seemed too difficult to be explained as easily as she and Kimberly were trying to die. There was still one piece of the puzzle that was missing. "What do you and I have in common?" Altessa's question was directed toward Kimberly, who was staring at her. "That we also could have in common with Alex Browning?" She knew they had no way of knowing for sure if their connection -whatever it may be- would be shared with Alex, but it didn't hurt to apply what they knew about the late visionary.   
  
"I was born here in New York." Kimberly suggested, knowing that they had better start from the beginning to attempt to make their connection, if the answer did indeed lie in that aspect.  
  
Altessa shook her head. "I wasn't, I'm from Georgia."   
  
"My middle name is Alicia."   
  
"Nope, mine is Ann."   
  
"My first pet was a cat." Kimberly knew she was really reaching now, but she couldn't think of another question to ask at the moment.   
  
"Mine was a dog."   
  
Kimberly frowned, pursing her lips at Altessa's answer. "I don't like dogs. Let's see, my birthday is November 6th. My mother's was March 19th and my father's is May 30th."   
  
Altessa studied her for a brief moment before answering, "My birthday is March 19th. But, you don't think that's connection do you? Your mother and I sharing the same birthday?"   
  
Before Kimberly could answer, Thomas spoke up. "I doubt it, I don't think that's anything more then a coincidence." Both girls realized that they had to agree with him, because it seemed like too much of a stretch even when they were in such desperate need of answers.   
  
Altessa sighed, puffing out her cheeks as she exhaled. "Wait, I know this is somewhat random but, Kimberly, why don't you like dogs?" She didn't know what was making her ask such a question, but something inside of her was telling her to ask it anyway.   
  
Kimberly gave her a confused look, raising an eyebrow as though attempting to figure out just where the teenager was coming from. She finally answered, "When I was six years old, I was attacked by a dog and I've been afraid of them ever since."   
  
A look of recognition dawned upon Altessa's face and a victorious smile flashed across her features for a moment. "Still random but, just go with me here, how badly were you attacked? Was it life-threatening?" Altessa asked, looking at the brunette with great interest upon her face.   
  
Kimberly shrugged, attempting to think back all those years ago. "I'm not quite sure, I remember waking up in the hospital with a bunch of stitches and my parents looking really worried but they never mentioned that it was life-threatening. I guess it could have been, it was a really mean dog." She answered, trying to follow the teenager's thinking pattern. When she was unable to, she asked, "Altessa, what are you getting at?"   
  
"All right, let's say that your dog attack was threatening, and that you died or almost died. That gives us something in common: the fact that we both died or almost died. When I got shot, I was clinically dead before that explosion. So-" Altessa got cut off by the brunette before she could finish her thought.   
  
"So, it's like the mortician was sort of saying earlier: because you died it gave you insight into the Design and Death like no surviving person ever had. And if I had almost died as well, that gives us the same insight and therefore, the ability to predict how and when we're going to die." Kimberly finished, victoriously with a large smile spreading across her face.   
  
Altessa couldn't help but smile as well, feeling as though a great weight had been removed from her shoulders. They had finally discovered what had set her and Kimberly apart from others, why they had suffered those visions in the first place. They were finally one step closer to figuring out how to save their lives once and for all.   
  
"I hate to burst the good feelings bubble that we all rightfully deserve but, how is going to help us beat the Design? It's great that we finally understand the origin of the visions but...how does that help?" Thomas questioned, causing both girls to glance over at him.   
  
Kimberly thought for a moment, attempting to figure out how their nearly discovered information could be put to the use of saving their lives. "I have no idea. Maybe we should sleep on it." She suggested, realizing just how tired she really was. This day had seemed to drag on forever, with the deaths of most of the survivors, the visit to the mortician and now, discovering one missing link.   
  
Neither Thomas or Altessa argued with Kimberly, all ready to put the bloody day behind them.   
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
So, I did my best at answering some of the Death mythology, or whatever you want to call it. I'm sure there are loose ends somewhere but I did my best ( I have the flu, so it's amazing I even came up with this) and I hope you enjoyed it. Please review! 


	24. Chapter TwentyFour: Guillotine

As I'm writing this chapter, I'm watching "Final Destination 2" on DVD (I'm so happy I finally got it on DVD, no more VHS!) and Evan is about to die. My little brother is watching it too and he looks absolutely frightened/engrossed, but anyway. I just have one little question to all my wonderful readers out there: how come there are no really hot guys in this movie? I mean in the first movie we had Devon Sawa, Kerr Smith and Sean William Scott but in the second movie, the cutest guy is the actor that plays Thomas and that's a stretch. Anyway, enough about that, on with the story.  
  
Chapter Twenty-Four   
  
Guillotine   
  
Altessa was the last to rise the next morning, awakened by the sounds of Kimberly banging around in the kitchen and Thomas humming in the shower. Yawning, the teenager slid off the couch and walked into the kitchen, greeting the brunette before sitting down at the kitchen table. "Right before I woke up, I thought everything about the past few days had been just a dream. But, I realized that I wasn't dreaming after all." Altessa remarked, not sure what her comment was supposed to mean or accomplish.  
  
Kimberly turned around to face the teenager, a sympathetic look upon her face. "The whole ordeal seems like a bad dream." She agreed, knowing that she had woken up more then a few times wondering if the past days and months had been nothing more then a nightmare. Yet she always woke up into her current reality, always forcing herself to make the best of the life she had now. "But, we're going to find a way to make it, at least, a little better."   
  
"Right. Better." Altessa mumbled, not quite sure of what better actually was, since her family and friends were dead. "Anyway, I still think that Skye is going to die next, even after last night's incident."   
  
Kimberly nodded, turning away long enough to stick two waffles into the toaster for a breakfast that she wasn't sure she really wanted. "After breakfast, we should go see Skye and Scott and make sure they're all right. I'm sure Thomas can get their address from some of his 'official files'." She remarked, smiling slightly as she spoke the last two words.   
  
Altessa nodded her agreement, while shrugging her shoulders slightly, realizing how much easier getting the survivors together was since Thomas was a police officer, though a low-rung officer. "I hope we're not too late."   
  
* * *   
  
After a light breakfast, Kimberly, Altessa and Thomas decided to head over to Scott and Skye's, deciding against calling, knowing that it would be an unnecessary waste of time. During the drive, everyone was silent, keeping an eye out for any signs that might mean that Skye really was next.   
  
Scott and Skye lived in the typical young couple apartment complex, with unmanicured lawns and separate buildings with peeling cream colored paint. Kimberly couldn't help but think that this apartment complex mirrored the cheap one that she and Thomas lived in now. Ignoring the cheap decor, she kept her eyes open for Scott or Skye, as well as the address that Thomas had gotten from the police report.   
  
"There's the building." Altessa remarked from the back seat, pointing to the right, where apartment building 9B stood. Thomas turned the SUV in the appropriate direction, looking for the blue Sunfire that the couple drove.   
  
Thomas parked the car alongside the curb and the trio piled out, heading up the cracked walkway toward the entrance to the building. Altessa sighed and stood on the sidewalk, letting Thomas and Kimberly walk on without her; she shielded her eyes against the glare of the sun as she peered down the walk, searching for the couple. Kimberly and Thomas reached the top of the stairs and studied the buzz board, looking over the names beside the white buttons that would grant them entrance into the apartment building. The brunette finally located the couple's name and pressed the buzzer, waiting for the approval to enter. When no answer came, Kimberly pressed the button again, in no mood to be patient; after pushing the buzzer twice more, she turned to Thomas with an exasperated look. "I don't think they're home." She mumbled, a worried feeling creeping across her spine.   
  
Thomas opened his mouth to say something but Altessa's voice cut him off before he could get the words out. "I think I see their car." She called, looking over at her friends, who turned in her direction.   
  
Indeed, a blue Sunfire was heading down the street toward the apartment building, though it didn't appear to have any motive of stopping; Scott and Skye were probably simply passing by on their way out once more. Kimberly and Thomas hurried down the steps and joined Altessa on the sidewalk. "We have to get their attention." Kimberly remarked, chewing on her bottom lip.   
  
Thomas began to wave his arms above his head, shouting their names as the car passed by the trio of survivors. "I think they'll stop." He remarked, despite the doubtful looks that Kimberly and Altessa gave him.   
  
* * *   
  
Skye's brow knitted for a brief moment as Scott drove past their apartment building. They were on their way to visit one of Scott's co-workers that lived a few buildings down on their way back from a trip to the grocery store; Skye knew that they were attempting to do the most mundane of things as a way of pretending that Death wasn't after them. "Scott, I think that was...Thomas and his girlfriend." She mumbled, shifting in her seat so she could see behind her.   
  
"Why would Thomas be at our apartment?" Scott questioned, slowing down slightly and knowing exactly why Thomas would be at their complex. He still believed that if he didn't admit that they were really being stalked by Death -despite all of the glaring proof that they were- then it wasn't true.   
  
Skye didn't answer but saw that she was right and that Thomas was attempting to get their attention. "I think you'd better go back." She remarked, though she knew that Scott couldn't turn the car around since the small road the were on was only one way. Instead, she rolled the window down and poked her head out, glancing past the back of the car to get a good look at Thomas, Kimberly and the unnerving teenager that they were always with.   
  
Thomas was shouting something that Skye couldn't quite make out, so she leaned out farther in an attempt to understand him. Despite everything that she had been taught in her life, she actually believed everything Thomas and Kimberly were saying about Death stalking them. Or, at least, she did after seeing what had happened the night before.   
  
The last thing Skye Davis was aware of what the shrill scream coming from Kimberly and Altessa's voice, laced with panic and worry, crying for her to watch out.   
  
* * *   
  
It had been Kimberly who had seen the sign first, realizing that Skye's head was directly positioned along the edge of the "Caution, children at play," road marker. Altessa's desperate warning had been shouted too late and Skye's head had been loped off before the blonde had even realized what was happening.   
  
Kimberly choked out another scream before falling against Thomas, feeling slightly lightheaded; Thomas put his arms around her, both supporting and comforting the brunette as tears filled her eyes. Altessa stumbled as well, though she managed to keep her footing, looking more shocked then anything else. At last, she dropped to her knees, tearing her gaze away from the sight of Skye's head, lying a foot away from her body, which had tumbled from the car. "I don't...understand...I knew she was going to die, we should have been able to save her." The teenager mumbled.   
  
The Sunfire screeched to a halt, nearly jackknifing as Scott slammed upon the breaks. Even from their spots outside, Kimberly, Altessa and Thomas could hear the distraught man shouting out his fiancée's name, as well as crying out meaningless words. Scott through open his car door and stumbled out of the vehicle, dropping to his knees before getting two feet away from the Sunfire. The man vomited onto the pavement, face pale and sticky with tears.   
  
Altessa watched the whole spectacle, too stunned to move or rightfully process what was happening. "I don't understand." She repeated, as though in a daze. "We should have saved her."   
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
So, here's another chapter, I hope you enjoyed it. I got the death from one of my favorite urban legends, in case anyone is wondering. So, please review! 


	25. Chapter Twenty Five: Protection

So, this review is coming a chapter later but, to my buddy ScribbleDribble (who needs a nickname as well...), it's interesting how you think that Kimberly is heartless 'cause she doesn't like dogs. I mean, I agree and have no idea why anyone could not like dogs but...anyway. As for pyroprincess's question about the urban legend, basically all the legend is that a group of kids are on a school bus and one girl sticks her head out the window and it gets cut off by a street sign. This is random but, I just got a mouse and, is it weird that he jumps from the floor to the top of the cage (which is wire mesh) and walks around upside down? Oh well, just a little food for thought. Anyway, please review and enjoy!  
  
Chapter Twenty-Five   
  
Protection   
  
Kimberly was more then sick of hearing ambulance sirens, though, by the way things were looking, she was going to keep hearing them in her foreseeable future. The skinny streets that weaved in and out of the complexes were clustered with police cars, an ambulance and a black coroner's truck, all familiar sights to the girl. Since there was nothing that could be done for Skye, the paramedics were tending to Scott, who was shaking and sobbing uncontrollably, which caused Kimberly to believe that he would seen be given some sort of sedative. That was simply how the paramedics worked, she knew from experience.   
  
Thomas was being questioned by his fellow officers, though the story was pretty cut and dry, even to them; there had been no foul play involved, but it was still their job. Altessa was still sitting on the ground, silent and motionless, watching the coroner zip Skye into a opaque black bag. Kimberly turned away from the unfolding scene and instead looked over at the teenager, who continued to stare ahead blankly.   
  
Kimberly knelt beside the girl, who only looked over when she did, eyes wide with unshed tears. "I don't understand it Kimberly, I thought we could stop her from dying, we knew she was next."   
  
"We didn't get here in time, we couldn't have saved her." Kimberly mumbled, hoping the words would be at least a small comfort, though she knew they would inspire no such thing. "We tried."   
  
Altessa nodded mutely before leaning into the brunette, seeking to be comforted physically, since words had no affect; Kimberly wrapped her arm's around the teenager, feeling the same desire to sheltered, protected and comforted. If only it was that easy to feel and remain safe.   
  
The two finally parted when Thomas approached them, looking more exhausted and depleted then he had in days. "The police want to question Scott, so they're bringing him to the station." He informed them, his next words directed at Altessa. "Do you think he's next?"   
  
"Quite possibly." Altessa muttered, looking as though she didn't exactly like speaking those words. "Thomas, is there some way that you can place Scott under protective custody?" She knew it was a semi-stretch, since they really didn't have any grounds to do such a thing but it seemed like the only thing they could do to at least attempt to protect Scott. They hadn't been able to save Skye and they had known that she was next, how they save Scott if they still weren't sure.   
  
Thomas appeared to be mulling over the idea before finally shrugging his shoulders. "It's worth a try. But do you think that would actually work?" He questioned, though they had never tried placing any of the survivors under official protection. Clear had tried to protect herself by placing herself in Stonybrook and it had seemed to work pretty well. Until she got out that is.   
  
"What do we have to lose?" Kimberly asked, standing up and helping Altessa to her feet as well. "It might be the only that actually works, until we figure out how to beat the Design anyway."   
  
So with that decision made, Thomas left the girls to speak with the officers again, no doubt making up some reason as to way Scott Sanders into protective custody. Altessa sighed, shifting her weight and glancing over at Kimberly to keep from watching the coroner place Skye's head into a bag, a task he didn't seem too excited about. "Kimberly what are we going to do? How are we going to stop the Design?" Altessa questioned, looking at the brunette with a pained expression upon her face.   
  
No matter how hard she tried, Kimberly couldn't come up with an answer for the girl.   
  
* * *   
  
The chief of police, who had come done to visit the horrid accident sight, wasn't too keen on the idea of placing Scott in protective custody, especially now that he was being questioned as the potential murderer of his girlfriend. Half dazed from the sedative he had been given, Scott was led into the back of a police car, much to his surprise.   
  
Altessa frowned as she watched the cruiser drive toward the local station with one of the last survivors in the back seat. "I don't understand how they can arrest him, don't they understand that it was an accident?" She questioned, looking over at Thomas, who simply shrugged.   
  
"They have to question him, regardless of it was an accident or not." He answered, though his answer didn't satisfy the teenager, who kept silent despite that fact.  
  
"I think we should follow them to the station, much sure that he's all right and if they release him, we need to talk with him." Kimberly remarked, looking as though she didn't think anything and that her words weren't a request or a suggestion.   
  
Intent on looking out for another survivor, the trio headed back to the SUV, which had remained beside the curb for the duration of the time, and followed the gaggle of police cruisers back toward the Eastview Police Station.  
  
* * *   
  
By the time Kimberly, Altessa and Thomas had arrived at the police station, they had already whisked Scott away into a back room. Thomas went to talk to one of the lower officers - "Someone I actually have more authority over"- and learned that the question could go on for a while.   
  
Altessa sighed and dropped down onto the same bench she had sat upon the day she had met Kimberly, back when her mother was still alive and there was still some amount of hope. Kimberly took a set beside her, surveying the decor that she had grown familiar with in all the times she had come to visit Thomas while he was at work. The station forever remained unchanged, with nothing but spare white walls and a trio of flags hanging from the wall just above where they sat. One was the American flag, one the New York state, and the flag of the police station; all were hanging proudly on wooden shafts with polished, pointed metal tips.   
  
Kimberly frowned when she noticed the tips and moved closer toward Altessa, where she would be out from underneath them. If Altessa noticed the brunette's unease she didn't say anything about it, glancing upward and noticing the points as well.   
  
Thomas returned to stand before the girls saying, "Scott's being questioned right now, but I'm sure they'll find nothing amiss with his stories and ours and realize that there's nothing foul about what happened to Skye."   
  
"Nothing can happen to Scott while the police are all questioning him right? I mean, he's safe for the time being." Altessa asked, looking at Kimberly instead of Thomas.   
  
Kimberly shrugged instead of answering, having no way of knowing for sure and not wanting to give any of them false hope. "We can hope, but we don't know for sure; but we do know that Death can manipulate stuff."   
  
Altessa didn't say anything about her comment, knowing that the brunette spoke the truth. Thomas sat down beside Kimberly, seeming not to the notice the potentially dangerous flags above his head. And so, the trio sat in silence for ten minutes, waiting for Scott to finish being questioned by the police so they could keep a closer eye upon him.   
  
Finally, Scott and a gaggle of police escorts emerged from the corridor where the man had been questioned; Scott looked no better, still shaking, crying much quieter now, eyes red-rimmed. Thomas stood once again to go speak with the officers, still intent on seeing if they could place Scott under protective custody; he wanted the other officers charged with protecting him, so that if something happened to Scott -which it surely would- then he, or Kimberly or Altessa, would feel guilty about not being able to save him.   
  
Scott intercepted him before he could go any further. "All that stuff about Death is true isn't it, I'm going to die." It wasn't really a question, but simply a statement of fact, one that Thomas wanted to disagree with but couldn't, not logically.   
  
"We're going to try and keep you safe, Scott, maybe give put you under police protection." Thomas told him, not sure if he was attempting to comfort the man or stating a fact just as he had done.   
  
Scott sighed wearily, not bothering to wipe the tears from his cheeks. "What's the point? Skye is dead, what's the point?" He mumbled, not saying anything more as he let Thomas direct him toward the bench where Kimberly and Altessa sat, taking a seat beside the brunette.   
  
Thomas realized that he knew how Scott was feeling; if anything happened to Kimberly, he wouldn't see the point in continuing to fight either. Instead of admitting these facts out loud, he began to speak with the chief of police, who had much to say upon the subject.   
  
Altessa glanced over at Scott when sat down, sighing just as he had before he had joined them. "I know how you feel, Mr. Sanders." She muttered, not quite sure the point of her words. When he gave her a skeptical look she said, "My family and friends are all dead. Well, except for Kimberly."   
  
Scott gave another sigh as he studied the raven-haired girl. "I'm sorry, I didn't know." He muttered lamely, feeling slightly guilty about his emotion, though he wasn't quite sure why. This almost anonymous teenager had lost every member of her family and everyone else she had cared about, yet she didn't look as though she had ever shed a tear; however, he was allowed to grieve for the love of his life.   
  
Altessa was about to reply when there was a solid thumping noise that reverberated through the wall and wooden back of the bench. Kimberly, Altessa and Scott both turned to face the direction of the sound to see that what looked like a metal mail cart had slammed into the wall after the young secretary manning it had lost control. Kimberly let out a sigh of relief that nothing horrible had come from the sound.   
  
Altessa leaned away from the back of the bench for a second, shifting herself to become more comfortable before leaning back against the wall and knocking her head against it.   
  
When the American flag slipped from its metal holder, knocked loose by the mail cart and Altessa's actions, it made very little sound; there was none, in fact, aside from the fluttering fabric of the flag. However, when the metal tip impaled itself into the man's skull, splitting the bone, a grotesquely fleshy sound echoed through the station.   
  
Kimberly let out a scream of surprise as she was coated with blood and flecks of gray membrane and skull. Her screams of surprise quickly to screams of fear and panic, which brought Thomas and the other officer's running. Scott's corpse toppled over onto the brunette, causing more screams as she scampered out beneath the body, dropping to the ground, which was coated with a fair amount of blood and gore as well.   
  
Altessa jumped to her feet as well, swallowing a shriek as she realized that she had a bit of blood and membrane upon her cheek and in her hair as well. She hurriedly wiped the gore away, scrubbing with the palm of her hand even after it had been smudged off her skin.   
  
Kimberly continued to sob even as Thomas put him arms around her and began whispering comforting words to her; the feeling of the blood and gore upon her body was unlike any that she had ever felt before and she felt like she would never be clean again. The feeling grew worse when she saw a sticky gray matter coating her clothing and skin, mixed in with the red of the blood. Her screams became even more hoarse and high-pitched when she realized just what the gray matter was. 


	26. Chapter Twenty Six: Gravedigger

You guys have been outstanding in your reviews, I feel so loved! I've never gotten so many reviews for one story before. And now, we're coming into the home stretch, readers, only a few chapters left to go. So please review and, most of all, enjoy!   
  
Chapter Twenty-Six   
  
Gravedigger   
  
Altessa handed Kimberly a Styrofoam cup of lukewarm coffee and sat down beside the brunette, who numbly took the cup and continued to stare straight ahead. The two girls were seated on a worn couch in the back room of the police station, waiting for Thomas to get done talking to his follow officers so they could retreat back to their apartment. Kimberly had been given a change of clothes from one of the female officers, but her hair, and Altessa's, was still matted with blood and gore.   
  
Kimberly set her cup aside and rested her head upon Altessa's shoulder and sighed. "Is it time to go yet? I need a shower." She grumbled, feeling more exhausted then Altessa had heard her sound yet. It unnerved the teenager slightly that it sounded as though her friend was beginning to give up, when she had been the only source of strength that Altessa had had in a while.   
  
"Almost." The teenager answered. She didn't know what else to say, wanted to encourage her to keep trying to fight but couldn't when she didn't much feel like fighting either. So, instead she just sighed, biting but an exhausted sob, as she laid her check against the crown of Kimberly's head.   
  
"This is never going to be over, is it? There's only three of us left and we're not any closer to figuring this thing out. How are we going to make sure that we don't end up like Scott and all the others?" Kimberly questioned, sitting up and looking at the teenager, locking eyes with her.   
  
"Kimberly, listen to me, we can't give up. No matter what." It sounded as though Altessa added the last trio of words as an after thought, praying that there wouldn't be any 'no matter whats' to have to deal with.   
  
The brunette nodded once, half-heartedly, trying to take to heart what the teenager had told her. Both girls turned away from each other when the door banged open and Thomas walked in, eyes falling immediately on his girlfriend, dressed in oversized clothes, hair darker then normal. She looked exhausted, beaten, but not ready to give up yet, something that truly surprised Thomas, though he wasn't quite sure why. "We can leave now, if you're ready." The question was address to both girls but he was still gazing at Kimberly as he spoke.   
  
"You don't even have to ask." Kimberly mumbled as she stood up, motioning for Altessa to stand as well, which the teenager did without comment. Without another word, the three remaining survivors left the police station, heading to the only place that still felt the least bit safe.   
  
* * *   
  
Kimberly felt as though she could stay in the shower for hours and never be completely clean; she didn't feel like she'd ever be clean again, felt as though she'd always felt Scott's blood upon her hands and what it felt like to wash bits of his flesh from her hair. However, she left the shower after only an hour of scrubbing beneath the near scalding water until she was raw from the coarse washcloth.   
  
Dressed in clothes of her own, Kimberly exited the bathroom, still toweling her hair as she entered the living room to find Thomas seated on the couch, channel surfing. When he noticed his girlfriend, he turned away from the television before clicking it off and motioning for her to join him upon the couch. Tossing the towel aside, Kimberly dropped down beside him, eagerly letting Thomas pull her into a tight embrace, leaning her head against his chest.   
  
"Are you all right?" Thomas questioned, kissing the crown of her head as he spoke. "I can't imagine how you must feel right now."   
  
Kimberly couldn't really put her hand on how she was really at the moment either, but that didn't stop her from trying. "I feel strange, detached, but oddly alive, like I'm not ready to quit. I think that's Altessa's doing; she told me that we could never give up and, if she can keep trying, after she's lost so much." She muttered, pulling away from Thomas' embrace as a thought dawned upon her. "Where is Altessa anyway?" It made her nervous not to know where the girl was, even though she wasn't in immediate danger at the moment.   
  
Thomas frowned slightly, saying, "I actually have no idea. I haven't seen her since we got home." He was slightly worried about the teenager as well, though he figured she could take care of herself long enough for he and Kimberly to have some 'alone time', which apparently wasn't going to happen judging by the concerned look upon his girlfriend's face. Kimberly had become like an older sister to the troubled teenager and Thomas worried about just how attached she was becoming to a girl they had only known for a few days; he worried that they weren't all going to come out of the Design alive and there was nothing he could do to keep her from getting hurt again.   
  
"I think I'm going to go try and find her, see if she's all right." Kimberly said, standing up and vanishing down the hallway toward the small bedroom they shared. Thomas watched her disappear with a sigh, leaning back against the couch and resuming his channel surfing.   
  
Kimberly found the bedroom empty, but saw that the window was open; the window led to the rickety fire escape ladder, which led down to the ground and up to the roof. Slightly nervous, the brunette mounted the ladder and began to climb upward, certain that she was find the missing teenager upon the roof, which was her favorite spot to come to think when something was troubling her.   
  
Altessa was indeed up on the roof, sitting on the ledge with her feet dangling over the side, her back to Kimberly. The brunette called the teenager's name so not to startle her as she approached; Altessa turned around to face her, smiling slightly before turning back around to gaze at the sprawling landscape before her.   
  
Against her better judgment, Kimberly sat down on the ledge beside the teenager, who seemed to welcome her company. "Are you okay, Altessa? I mean, really." Kimberly questioned.   
  
Altessa didn't look over at her, continuing to stare at the cloud filled sky that promised rain and the sun that was beginning to set. "Sometimes, I wonder if things would be different if I had died that day instead of lived. My parents and friends would still be alive." She mumbled finally, her voice flat, devoid of emotion.   
  
Kimberly closed her eyes, feeling all the pain that Altessa refused to show. "Don't say that, all right? Don't say that. Without you...if you hadn't been there that day then Thomas and I would have died in that explosion. But now, we have a chance, a chance to finally beat this thing." She said, trying desperately to make Altessa understand that they did still have a chance to, that, even though it seemed that way, not everything was completely lost.   
  
Kimberly and Altessa sat for a while in silence upon the roof, watching the dark clouds swallow the sun, listening to the rumble of thunder in the distance. It wasn't long after the thunder that the clouds finally split and rain began to trickle down from them, falling upon their heads.   
  
"Come on, let's go inside before it gets too heavy." Kimberly suggested, standing carefully, feeling much more relieved when her feet were back upon the solid roof. She glanced at Altessa, who didn't seem to be interested in moving so suddenly.   
  
Instead, the teenager held out her hand, palm cupped, to catch the rain that was falling around them. "I used to love the rain when I was little, though I was never quite sure why. I liked to catch the drops on my tongue like other kids liked to catch snow flakes." Altessa remarked.   
  
Kimberly remained silent, staring at the teenager, unwilling to say anything, deciding it best to remain silent in case Altessa wanted to continue speaking. "When I die, I hope that the gravedigger makes my grave shallow so that I can still feel it when it rains."   
  
Altessa's comment made Kimberly want to cry, though she wasn't quite sure why. There was a sense of loss in the teenager's voice unlike anything Kimberly had ever heard before and she wanted to comfort the girl and make everything all right again. However, she knew that nothing would be okay again, for any of them, which made her sense of despair even deeper.   
  
"Come on, Altessa, let's go inside." Kimberly offered again as the rain began to fall heavier.   
  
Closing her hand, Altessa stood up and turned around, falling Kimberly back down the escape ladder and into the apartment.   
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
I got Altessa's lines about the rain from the Dave Matthews' song "Gravedigger", which is a great song by the way. Please review! 


	27. Chapter Twenty Seven: Ripple

Chapter Twenty-Seven

Ripple 

The following morning, Kimberly was awake before anyone else in the apartment, which was a rare occurrence. Silently, she slipped out of the bedroom and entered the living room, casting a glance over at Altessa, who was sleeping silently upon the couch. Her thick hair was sprawled across her pale face, giving her a slightly secretive, all together mournful, appearance. Kimberly wished that she could go back and change everything, make it so that Altessa was asleep at home with her family instead of curled up on their couch like a refugee. 

Kimberly put on a pot of coffee and glanced out the window as she waited for it to brew; it had rained all night and the weather had finally tapered off, leaving everything wet and the sky cloudy. It was the perfect atmosphere for the way she was feeling at the moment, as though it was easier to feel upset and depressed when the sun wasn't shining. 

_If only there was some way of figuring out how to beat the Design; we've tried everything all ready, no one has the answers. _Kimberly mused, sitting down at the kitchen table and resting her chin in the palm of her hand. They had tried everything...or had they? 

When they had first went to ask the mortician for help, he had seemed almost reluctant to tell them anything, filling their heads with information they basically all ready knew. What if there was something Bludworth didn't tell them the first time around; was there something he was hiding? 

Kimberly stood up quickly, her chair screeching behind her; she turned the coffee pot off and hurried into the bedroom to get dressed, eager to get out of the apartment before anyone else woke up. She needed to visit the mortician alone and she doubted that Thomas or Altessa wouldn't let her do such a thing. Something told her that Bludworth would be more open to answer her questions if she came to visit him alone and Kimberly was so desperate at the moment that she would try anything. 

On an afterthought, Kimberly scribbled down a message for Thomas and Altessa before walking out the apartment door, shutting it gently so she didn't wake up the teenager. She bypassed Thomas' SUV in the parking lot and decided instead to walk the short distance to the house where her father lived and borrow his rickety old Mustang. Kimberly also wanted to speak with him, in case something happened and she didn't make it back to the apartment; it was a morbid way to think, but there was no way of knowing who was next. 

Kimberly just hoped that by the time she returned from visiting the mortician that it wasn't too late. 

* * * 

Kimberly navigated the twisty roads leading toward the funeral home with ease, though she had only made the journey twice before. She, however, was careful to drive the speed limit, use all the appropriate hand and vehicle signals and keep her eyes upon for any Signs that might arise. 

Though the hour wasn't incredibly early, the roads were almost completely free of other vehicles, which made Kimberly's trip all the easier. When she neared the funeral home, she was slowed by a funeral procession, headed by a black hearse and cars full of weeping, red-eyed relatives. The sight of the procession chilled her to the bone and she pulled her father's car onto the shoulder of the road just so she would be farther away from the hearse and its passenger; Kimberly didn't want to think about the unlikely passenger in the car and prayed that she wouldn't be in a hearse for a long while.

Drawing a deep breath, Kimberly continued down the road once more, feeling as though she was the flank in the morbid parade that snaked along. Thankfully, the hearse led its followers down a side road, leaving her to travel alone once again, though her trip was nearly over. 

When the funeral home finally come into view, Kimberly was surprised to see Bludworth standing out on the well manicured lawn, staring down the road at something that she couldn't see. He didn't look her way as she pulled into the gravel path, parking her car and hoping out; Kimberly steeled herself as she headed toward the mortician. The dew that had yet to dry off the ground sparkled in the sun, giving the landscape a surreal feeling. 

Kimberly hadn't had a chance to speak before Bludworth turned to her, an eerie smile upon his face. "It's bizarre to think that, while some or mourning the death of a loved one, somewhere someone else is celebrating life." He remarked, still staring down the road that seemed to lead nowhere. 

The brunette pursed her lips and shrugged her shoulders. "The cycle of life, I guess." She mumbled, not stopping to think about how ironic the words sounded coming from her. 

Bludworth turned to face her, the eerie smile gone. "Then why are you trying to hard to break the cycle. I can give you the answers you came here for but I'm going to tell you there's no way to fully cheat to Death." He explained, face serene and oddly blank as he studied her worried features. 

"There has to be some way, any way! I'm only twenty-two years old, it can't be my time to die." Kimberly retorted, regretting the words the insist they flew from her mouth. Shane and Morgan, Altessa's friends, had been even younger then she, yet they had died. Did she really think that she deserved to live before she wasn't even into her thirties yet? What had she ever done that was so spectacular? 

Bludworth didn't seem too pleased by her remark either and said, "The body they were carrying in the hearse that slowed you down on your way here was carrying a seven year old boy. He drowned in the swimming pool when no one was looking; was it his time to die? He was younger then you, Kimberly; there are many deaths of people much younger then you." He seemed to speaking to her as one would reprimand a child the first time it had done something wrong. 

Kimberly frowned at his words, feeling oddly put in her place and stared at her feet, which were wet with dew. The mortician had a point, one that she couldn't dispute no matter how hard she thought. "It's not fair." Kimberly couldn't of anything else to say and feeling stupid for the words that she did say. 

Silently, Bludworth stared at her for a moment, figuring there was no need for him to state the obvious; life wasn't fair, everyone knew that. "But you always knew there was no way to cheat Death, you came here searching for a way to delay it. You're afraid of dying, Kimberly, which is why you're here." He stated the words as a matter of fact, one that she couldn't deny. 

"Everyone's afraid to die." Kimberly remarked, looking up at the unnerving man once more, who met her gaze steadily. 

Bludworth shrugged slightly, as though he was considering the fact, recognizing it without accepting it. "Not everyone, not your strange friend Altessa. Which is another reason you came here, isn't it, about Altessa." He wasn't asking a question, he knew good and well all of Kimberly's intentions. 

Kimberly wanted to disagree with the man's statement but found that she couldn't; Altessa had never seemed frightened, or upset, about the possibility that she could die at any given moment. She always seemed more concerned for the other survivors then for herself, seeming to think that her death would solve a whole slew of problems. 

So, instead, Kimberly said, "Just what exactly do you know about Altessa? And how do you know so much about everything?" She figured that at least one of her questions would go unanswered; Bludworth reminded her of a magician, never giving away his secrets. 

"There are some questions that never get answered. The fact that your friend Altessa is alive at all could be one of them." Bludworth began but Kimberly's worried impatient cut him off. 

"I already know that she was supposed to die last year when she got shot by a thief; you were there when she told us, remember?" Kimberly snapped, knowing that she didn't have enough time to put up with information they all ready knew. Bludworth always seemed to be stepping around the really important questions. 

Bludworth sighed, impatient as well, though for a different reason. "Altessa Adams should never have even made it that far into her lifetime; she never should have been born at all. During her second pregnancy, Altessa's mother fell down a flight of stairs while helping her young son walk down them and she had to be rushed to the hospital in hopes of saving her unborn child. What no one knew, of course, was that Altessa was dead all ready, that is, until they arrived at the hospital and Amanda was given a stat cesarean section. Altessa should have been dead, and, logically she was, but modern medicine intervened on her account, being the first thing to mess with Death's Design." The man explained, much to Kimberly's surprise. 

"But, if they were able to save Altessa, then she was meant to survive. How does that fit in with everything?" Kimberly questioned, unable to believe the callousness in which Bludworth talked about the teenager. 

"Remember the dog attack you suffered when you were little? The dog began to Altessa, it was her birthday present that year and some family friends were watching it for the Adams family the day it attacked you. If Altessa had never been born, the dog would never have attacked you and you would have never been on the Design in the first place. 

"Same with Alex Browning; when he was ten, he and his mother were in New York city and so were Altessa and her father. They were sightseeing as a treat for Altessa's birthday when they got in a car accident that almost killed Alex. No Altessa, no car accident." Bludworth elaborated. 

Kimberly sighed, running her fingers through her hair, staring down at the ground once again. Altessa was the reason why they were on the Design in the first place; Clear had said that by getting off Flight 180 the survivors had changed the lives of everyone they had come into contact with. The same went for Altessa, by being alive, she had signed the premature Death warrants of two strangers because she was coming into contact with things and events that never should have happened. 

"So you can see that Altessa started one of the biggest ripples of them all; her death would sort the ripple out for the time being, given you the chance to live the life you covet so dearly." Bludworth added, raising an eyebrow as he spoke. 

Kimberly looked up at him once again, slightly horrified. "I can't just let Altessa die, even if it would save Thomas and I." She stated, hating herself for even considering such a thing for a brief second. The selfish part of her wanted to act upon what she had learned, wanted to grab hold of the prefect and long life she was being promised but there was no way she could do such a thing. 

"I was just answering your questions, Kimberly, don't forget that. Not everything in life is what you want to hear." Bludworth remarked, looking as though he had no qualms about telling her any of information he had given her. 

For a moment longer, Kimberly stared at her before turning around and heading back to her car without another word; she had learned all she needed to know, there was no reason to stick around. Bludworth remained silent as well, only speaking once Kimberly was in her hair, pulling onto the main road. 

"Drive safely." He advised with a devilish smile, enough to cause the brunette to shudder. 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Thanks to the lovely Dharke, I now have over eighty reviews! I never thought I'd be so lucky to even get past double digits, let alone almost to triple ones; but you lovely readers (I'm not quite a hippy, Dharke) have changed my mind about all of that. I hope that everyone likes these last few chapters, I'm working hard to get them up as soon as possible. To finish this story, I'm going to take a break from my other F.D. stories until the last three chapters of this story are written. So, please review and enjoy and I'll have the next chapters up as soon as possible. 


	28. Chapter Twenty Eight: Spared

Thanks to Curtis and Dharke (who is _not _lovely!) and their reviews. Thanks for the others who reviewed as well, I appreciate it; I'm glad I could make a Bludworth comeback since a few reviewers didn't like the first time he was in the story. As for Dharke's comments about Altessa and Kimberly being lesbians, I actually worried that their relationship was a little too strong, leave it to Dharke to actually voice her thoughts. Well, I love (is that okay Dharke?) her for it. Anyway, please review and enjoy this chapter, only two more after this! 

Chapter Twenty-Eight 

Spared 

Altessa was awakened by the sound of Thomas slamming the front door to the apartment; still half asleep, the teenager sat up slightly, yawning and glancing around the apartment, trying to figure out why the police officer was making so much noise. "Enough, Officer Irritating, I'm trying to sleep." Altessa snapped when she saw she had Thomas' attention. 

Thomas ignored her remark and instead said, "Have you seen Kimberly?" He looked worried, though not completely concerned, still believing that his girlfriend would turn up within seconds, unharmed. 

Altessa shook her head, still too tired to be concerned. "No. Why?" She questioned, yawning again and stretching her arms over her head. She was certain that Thomas was over reacting and that Kimberly was somewhere close by, not in any kind of immediate danger. 

Thomas shook his head, frowning. "When I woke up she wasn't in the bedroom, or the bathroom, or the shower. You didn't hear her leave or anything?" He asked the teenager, beginning the pace around the living room as though looking for something. 

"No." Altessa repeated, finally it strange that, if Kimberly had left, she hadn't woken up because she was a rather light sleeper. Her eyes watched Thomas pace for a moment before falling on a scrap of paper resting on the coffee table, pinned down by the television remote. She reached for the paper, and scanned it quickly, seeing that was a note from Kimberly. 

_Thomas and Altessa, _

I decided to see the mortician again, just in case there was something that he just wasn't telling us. I borrowed my dad's car; don't worry about me, I'll be back soon. 

Kimberly. 

After reading it once, Altessa handed the paper over to Thomas wordlessly, who scanned it even quicker then the teenager had. "I can't believe she'd leave without telling us; something could happen to her and we'd have no way of knowing." Now Thomas seemed worried for the well-being of his girlfriend. 

Altessa frowned as well, realizing that Thomas did have a point; Kimberly was stupid to go off on her own, when she could be next. Anything could happen to her, especially in a car. "What are we going to do? She could be next." She said, knowing that she spoke the fears that Thomas didn't want to do. 

"Find her, if we can. Make sure she's okay. But, we could always just call her-" Thomas began but Altessa cut him off before he could continue his words any further. 

"No, we can't call her; her cell was in her car when it exploded the other day." She informed him, standing up and grabbing a change of clothes out of her duffel. Without a word to Thomas, she hurried into the bathroom to change, eager to get out of the house and make sure that Kimberly was all right. If the incident in the bathroom hadn't been Death out to get the brunette, which Altessa believed that it wasn't, that meant that Kimberly could be next. As she headed back into the living room, Altessa briefly wondered if Kimberly had discovered any new information from Bludworth, anything that could give them more of a chance then they had now. 

Thomas was waiting impatiently by the front door for Altessa to emerge once again, his car keys clutched tightly in his hand. "I think we might be able to find her if she followed the same route that we followed the last two times when going to visit the mortician." He mumbled, almost as though he was talking to himself, as he opened the apartment door and stepped outside, Altessa following behind him. 

Wordlessly, Altessa climbed into the passenger seat beside Thomas, buckling her seat belt without even realizing what she was doing. The second Thomas inserted the keys into the ignition and started the car, the overbearing sound of the radio filled the cab, which was a surprise to the driver, since he hadn't had the radio on recently. He was about to switch the radio off when the words of the male singer reached his ears, causing Thomas to pause in his actions. 

_...Somehow I found my baby that night. She lifted her head, she looked at me and said 'hold me darling, just a little while'. I held her close, I kissed her our last kiss, I found the love that I knew I had missed. And now she's gone even though I hold her tight, I lost my love, my life, that night. Oh where... _

Thomas and Altessa locked wide eyes as they listened the haunting song playing through the speakers. Altessa's already pale face seemed to get shades paler as she said, "This song is about a car accident isn't it? You don't think..." By the way she trailed off, she knew that Thomas knew exactly what she was thinking, but neither of them wanted to say it out loud. 

The songs on the radio had already proved to be important Signs in the past and Thomas wasn't about to take a chance by chalking this up to just coincidence. "I'm not about to wait around to find it." He mumbled as he backed the car out of its parking space. "It makes a little bit of sense though, because Kimberly was originally supposed to die in a car accident, just could just be further proof that Death always gets what it wants." 

Altessa frowned, knitting her eyebrows with worry as she stared out the window, keeping an out for Kimberly, praying that her friend was all right. "We'll find her." She repeated to herself, under her breathe, one of the only prayers she had ever said in her life. 

* * * 

Kimberly sighed as she stared at the row of cars before hers, all stopped before a spot light, which refused to turn green. She was fifteen minutes away from her apartment and her exhaustion seemed to be finally catching up with her; she squeezed her eyes closed for a brief moment, as though attempting to get rid of some of the drag they seemed to have. Kimberly didn't open her eyes until she heard the impatient honking coming from the cars behind her, signaling that the light had changed. Feeling slightly embarrassed for being the sort of driver that inspired road rage, she swore to keep her eyes open until she got back to the safety of her apartment, and continued down the road. 

As she drove, Kimberly tossed Bludworth's words around in her head, attempting to figure out just what to do next; she had finally gotten the answers she had been searching so desperately for, she knew now how to put off Death's Design. But it involved the subsequent death of Altessa, which was a price that she had decided was too high. Kimberly also knew that if she told Altessa what Bludworth had told her, that the teenager was more likely to act upon that information. Bludworth was right, Altessa didn't seem afraid to die. 

Kimberly wondered what it would be like to have that kind of freedom. 

* * * 

Thomas followed the route that he had followed the first two times he had gone to 'visit' Bludworth, but there was still no sign of Kimberly. Altessa had remained silent since they had left, offering no supernaturally helpful insight on how to find the brunette, though he wasn't exactly sure what he was expecting her to say. 

Altessa glanced over at Thomas, a slight frown upon her face. "Don't worry, I think we'll find her. Kimberly's not stupid, she'll be fine." She assured him, breaking the silence, her words not sounded as forceful as she had wanted. 

Thomas smiled faintly, nodding, trying to take comfort in her words, trying to believe exactly what the teenager was saying. He figured he didn't have any other choice. 

* * * 

Kimberly's eyes fluttered and she yawned once again, feeling even more exhausted then she had moments ago. If she could only make it a few more miles, a few more minutes, then she would be all right. As her eyes closed once more, Kimberly began to believe that she couldn't make it that far. 

* * * 

All her life, Kayla Bloom had been a careful driver; she always followed the road signs, made sure to use her in cab signals, never talked on her cell phone while driving and rarely kept the radio on above minimum volume. All these things Kayla would later tell the police when they questioned her about the car accident that she was about to get into. "I'm a careful driver, officer, the most careful, that accident wasn't my fault." She would say, hours later and she would be telling the truth. For the car accident that Kayla Bloom was about to be a part of wouldn't be her fault at all, but the fault of the other driver, the one that had fallen asleep behind the wheel of her Sedan seconds before entering an intersection. 

Kayla would later use insurance to pay for the new front that her Sunfire, which would be totaled in impact of striking the Sedan head-on in the passenger side. During the initial impact, Kayla was very glad that she had always been a safe driver, since safe drivers never forgot to wear their seat belts. 

* * * 

The jarring impact coming from her right snapped Kimberly awake the instant it happened. As her Sedan squealed across the intersection, she realized that she had fallen asleep at the wheel once more and had been hit by a Sunfire, that had managed to break before anymore damage could be done. Kimberly was in another car accident, and this time she realized that there would be no waking up. 

Kimberly slammed her foot on the break so hard that her car swerved, the back slamming into another car. She suppressed a scream as she braced herself, beginning to feel the back of her Sedan propelled upward, the car beginning to flip over. 

Her seatbelt locked, keeping her from slamming into the windshield as the car flipped, though it didn't stop her head from knocking into the side window. Kimberly heard the window crack from the impact (or what she hoped was the window); her vision began to grow cloudy, the edges graying as she fought not to lose consciousness. If she couldn't stay awake so that she could free herself from the car then she doubted that she was ever going to get out. 

Kimberly felt her seat belt tighten around her body as she was tossed forward once again as the car hit the pavement once more, slamming onto the concrete on the driver's side, shattering the glass on the already cracked window. Kimberly's head slammed upon the pavement, shards of glass slashing and embedding in her cheek. She was vaguely aware of the pain as everything became black once more. 

* * * 

Altessa and Thomas heard the car accident up head before they saw it; the sound of squealing tires, blaring horns and twisting metal was unmistakable. Thomas felt his heart freeze up in his chest as he heard the accident, certain that Kimberly was involved somewhere; Altessa leaned forward to get a better look, trying to see the accident with wide eyes. Thomas pressed on the gas, going even faster then he had been before, praying that Kimberly wasn't involved, that she was all right; car accidents happened all the time, that didn't mean that his girlfriend was in this one. 

The row of cars before the SUV were stopped, unable to continue through the intersection due to the accident. "Screw this," Thomas snapped, causing Altessa to tear her gaze toward him. "We have to make sure that Kimberly's all right." With that, he pulled the keys out of the ignition and opened his door, hitting the pavement running. 

Altessa followed suit, tearing down the road past the impatient row of cars, ignoring some of the assorted shouts that were directed her way. As she neared the intersection, she saw that there were three cars involved in the accident, though only one of them looked in bad shape. A Sedan lay on its side, almost completely totaled, its hood engulfed in sputtering flames. 

Thomas' gaze fixed on the Sedan, heart freezing for the second time in as many minutes. "Oh my God," he breathed when he got his breath back. "That's Kimberly's dad's car." 

Altessa's eyes grew wide with panic as she studied the Sedan more closely; it didn't appear that anyone could have survived such an accident, but that wasn't going to stop her from seeing if Kimberly was all right. "We have to help Kimberly, that car's going to explode." Without waiting for Thomas to respond, she ran toward the car, pretending as though she didn't hear Thomas shouting out her name. 

As Altessa neared the Sedan, she began to looking for any sign of life inside and anyway for her to get to Kimberly, whether she was dead or not. The flames were growing and spreading, cutting down on the amount of time that she had to get to her friend. The passenger side window was shattered, providing the only entrance that Altessa could see. _You really are crazy, _she mused to herself as she began to lift herself through the window. 

A shard of broken glass sliced into her palm, causing Altessa to cry out in surprise; she lost her grip on the sill and tumbled into the car, knocking her head on the dashboard as she fell. Altessa blinked in an attempt to clear her head, brining herself back to the skewed reality that she was in at the moment. In the flickering flames, she saw Kimberly, lying motionless, her lolled to the left, her body only held upright by her seatbelt. Altessa believed that she saw the brunette's chest rise and fall slightly, a good sign if she ever saw one. 

"Kimberly? Kimberly, can you hear me?" It was a stupid question, but Altessa found that she had to ask it anyway. She didn't expect Kimberly to answer and she wasn't disappointed. 

Taking a deep breath, Altessa inched closer to the still form of her friend, searching around for the seat belt release; her sweaty fingers finally found the red button and pushed it eagerly, freeing the metal buckle from the clasp. The belt rose slightly, but was too tangle around Kimberly to complete retract; Altessa unwrapped the belt from around her friend's waist and shoulders, pulling the brunette closer to her. The left side of Kimberly's face was bloody, from both a bruised cut near her hairline and tiny cuts that covered most of her check. Altessa grimaced when she saw that some of the cuts still had glass imbedded in them, giving the wounds a strange look; Kimberly stirred slightly when Altessa pressed her palm against her bleeding cheek in an attempt to stifle the blood flow. 

"Don't worry, Kimberly, we're almost out." Altessa promised, though she wasn't quite sure of how they were going to get out of the car. Leaning Kimberly against the driver's seat, she turned around to face the passenger door, grabbing the handle and attempting to open the door. 

The door didn't budge, causing panic to flood Altessa; they couldn't both die in this car, not after everything that they had been through. Altessa tried the handle again, this time slamming her shoulder against the door as hard as she could, praying for it to open. She felt it begin to give away as she hit it and she felt relief begin to prickle through her. Maybe they would get out of this after all, maybe there was still hope of some kind. Altessa hit the door twice more before it creaked open slowly; Altessa whirled around to grab hold of Kimberly once more, dragging her along as gently as she could. 

Altessa and Kimberly both toppled from the door and onto the pavement; with one eye watching the growing fire, Altessa continued to drag her friend away from the car, in case it exploded. Altessa and Kimberly were on the side of the road by the time the Sedan finally did explode, showering the area with charred debris; Altessa turned her head away from the heat of the explosion, feeling as though she was back to the day that the Victorian house had exploded. If she could go back to that day, knowing how everything would play out, she wondered if she could keep all of her friends and family from dying. 

Altessa opened her eyes again when she heard someone calling her name; she saw Thomas running in their direction with two rescue workers in tow. Thomas dropped to his knees beside Kimberly, clearly relieved to see that she was all right; he pulled her still motionless body into his arms, glancing at Altessa appreciatively. "You saved her." He mumbled, causing Altessa to frown. 

"For now, but who knows for how long; we still haven't beaten the Design and we can't keep living like this, afraid to do anything. Somehow, this has to stop." Altessa cried, leaping to her feet and taking off running, unsure of where her sudden burst of emotion had stemmed from. As she ran further from the accident site, she realized that she wasn't heading back toward Kimberly and Thomas' apartment but toward her own house; she also realized that she had been hit with a sudden revelation. A revelation on how to stop the Design once and for all. 


	29. Chapter Twenty Nine: Beautiful Release

Chapter Twenty-Nine 

Beautiful Release 

Kimberly's eyes fluttered open just as the paramedics were beginning to strap her into a gurney. The first thing she was aware of was how badly the left side of her face was hurting, though she couldn't quite remember why; her head was also throbbing uncontrollably, by far the worst headache she had ever suffered. As she began to become more aware of the sights and sounds around her, she began to remember just what had happened to her: she had been in a car accident, she had blacked out and she was sure she was going to die. 

But, there she was, not dead but strapped into a gurney and about to be loaded into a Lakeview Hospital Ambulance. She shut her eyes tightly once more, as though she hoped that would help drive out the pain in her head but the gesture did nothing; she wiggled her fingers and toes, wondering if she had suffered something worse then a head bump to be loaded into an ambulance. Everything responded, she checked out okay. 

The sound of someone calling her name caused Kimberly's eyes to flicker open once more, her gaze attempting to pinpoint where the speaker was standing. Relief washed over her when she saw Thomas standing beside the gurney, looking even more relieved then she felt. 

"Kimberly, thank God you're okay." Thomas mumbled, kissing her forehead and lips gently before she could say anything.

Slightly confused about the whole series of events that had led to her being upon a gurney instead of in a graveyard, Kimberly said, "What happened? How did I get out of the car?" What she really wanted to know was, had she cheated Death once more? 

Thomas smiled slightly at her question. "Altessa rescued you, she climbed into the burning car and somehow managed to pull you out, believe it or not. A real Timmy and Lassie style-rescue." He answered, the whole thing seeming much more amusing now that the real danger was over. 

"So, you're comparing me to a twelve-year-old boy who has a knack for falling down wells?" Kimberly questioned, raising her eyebrow slightly, though it sent a wave of pain through her body. She took the fact that she could joke as a good sign. Thomas opened his mouth to defend his statement but Kimberly cut him off before he could do so. "Where is Altessa anyway?" 

Thomas frown, brow knitting as he heard her question. "I have no idea, after she saved you, she took off running, she was really upset about breaking the Design." He answered, wondering if he should be concerned for the teenager. He decided against it, however, since it was more likely his turn to die next and not Altessa's. 

Kimberly frowned as well, wishing that she wasn't strapped down to a gurney (which made her feel like a mental patient) and that her head didn't hurt so bad (which made her want to kill herself.) Her concern for Altessa multiplied because of what Bludworth had said about the teenager; something inside of her told her that Altessa had known how to beat the Design all along. After all, hadn't she something to that extent when they were leaving the mortician the first time? "Thomas, I think Altessa's in danger." Kimberly said, staring at her boyfriend with a serious expression upon her bruised face. 

"Why? Death has already skipped her, it's not her turn to die yet." Thomas questioned, trying to figure out where Kimberly's concern stemmed from. It wasn't the first time he had wondered if Kimberly and Altessa shared some sort of visionary link. 

Kimberly shot an irritated glance at the paramedic to her right for strapping her down before turning her gaze back to Thomas. "When I went to see the mortician, he told me that Altessa had created the ripple that put Alex and I on Death's List in the first place. Altessa should have never been born but she was which started a chain of events that brings us to where we are now; basically, if there was no Altessa, the whole premonition thing wouldn't have happened in the first place. 

"He also told me that the only chance we have of prolonging the Design is if Altessa dies. Do you think it's possible that Altessa knew all along that she was the cause of the Design, that she could somehow break it? I mean, didn't she say something like that before?" Kimberly questioned, brow knitting in concern. 

Thomas paused to think about Kimberly's question. "Well, yeah, she did say something like that, after we had visited the mortician the first time; she asked if her intentional death would somehow break the Design. But I doubt that she really knew that it would, she was probably just offering ideas." He mumbled, though it seemed like quite a stretch to him. How many people offered up suicide as an off-handed idea? 

"Either way, I think Altessa's in trouble, and we have to find her before she does anything stupid." _Or deadly, _Kimberly thought but say, making a point and pulling against the straps that held her down. The action sent a wave of pain through her head and she had to pause, shutting her eyes until the dizziness passed. 

Thomas gave her a strange look. "Kimberly, you were just in a car accident, a major one and you probably have a concussion, I think Altessa will be all right until-" Kimberly once again cut him off, sounding even more upset and worried then she had before. 

"I don't feel like I have a concussion." She snapped, though, inwardly, she wouldn't have been surprised if she had a concussion after all. "Altessa might be in danger and she might not be all right after the doctors tell me that there's nothing wrong with me. I'll go to the hospital after we know that Altessa's not going to kill herself." Despite her throbbing head, Kimberly turned her anger toward the paramedic, who seemed content enough to pretend like he didn't hear anything that Kimberly was saying. "If you don't let me out of this god-damned gurney right now, my friend could die and then it'll be _your _fault." Kimberly thrashed once more, realizing that she was making too much of a skeptical in her actions. But now, however, didn't seem like the time for saying please. 

The paramedic seemed surprised by Kimberly's behavior (obviously not the sort of behavior he had expected from someone who might have a concussion) and glanced over at Thomas, who simply shrugged. "She's obviously not that hurt; I promise she'll get to the hospital after she sees that her friend is all right." Thomas assured the man, who seemed more then eager to follow orders instead of thinking for himself. 

Kimberly sat upright as soon as she was untied from the gurney, fighting down the wave of dizziness that washed over her. Letting Thomas help her down from the stretcher, she seemed ready to take off that very moment. "All right, Thomas, we have to find Altessa right now." It wasn't the first time she had said these words, but this time she really sounded like she meant it. 

"Do you have any idea of where she is? She could be anywhere, Kimberly, she just took off running." Thomas remarked, putting his arm around the brunette's waste in an effort to support the shaky girl. 

Kimberly didn't answer right away but instead began walking forward, heading away from the ambulance and accident scene. After a brief pause, Thomas followed after her, clearly in no mood to leave her alone after her recent brush with Death. "If she wanted to be alone, then I doubt that she would go back to our apartment, but I doubt that being alone was the reason that she ran away." Kimberly frowned as she spoke, feeling somewhere deep inside of her that she was never going to see her new friend again. She tried not to think that way but she found it nearly impossible. 

"Kimberly, I really doubt that Altessa rushed off to kill herself; I mean, she has no solid ground to do such a thing." Thomas said, figuring that he was trying to reassure his girlfriend and keep her from doing something stupid. 

Kimberly, however, didn't seem very reassured by the words and stopped abruptly, turning face the officer. "Thomas, she was more then enough ground to kill herself, though I doubt that any of the reasons you can think of will be the reason that she does it. And I know she will, if we don't get there in time." She snapped, trying to speak with force, though felt as though she were trying to save someone that was all ready dead. 

Thomas sighed, pursing his lips. "Okay, so where do you think she vanished off to then?" He questioned, seeing that there was no fighting Kimberly now that she was on a mission of sorts. 

Kimberly paused to think about his question before the answer dawned upon her. "Home, I think she went back to her house; no one wants to be completely alone when they die and her house is all she has left of her family." Her reasoning didn't seem like it made the most sense but Kimberly was certain that was where Altessa had run off to. Everyone wanted to be at least close to home when they died; that was partially the reason she had stopped by her father's house the morning, just in case she did die before getting back to the apartment. Home really was where the heart was. 

Thomas thought about saying something but he decided that there simply was no point; logic couldn't interfere with way Kimberly was thinking right now so there was no use trying. "Fine. Lead the way." He muttered instead, sighing as he followed Kimberly to the SUV, which had been moved to the side of road once he had realized that Kimberly was all right. 

Kimberly climbed into the passenger side and buckled, waiting impatiently for Thomas to start the engine and turn the car around toward the Adams' house. _Please don't let us be too late, _Kimberly prayed silently, _we can't be too late again. _

* * * 

The Adams house looked just as it always did: lights out, crooked for sale sign in the lawn, silent as houses should be. Nothing seemed amiss or out of place, but Kimberly felt as though it appeared more foreboding then any other house she had ever seen. As Thomas' SUV slowed in the driveway, a low humming sound reached their ears; at first, Kimberly couldn't figure out just what she was hearing but as the car pulled closer to the garage she was able to identify just what the noise was. "No..." Her words came out breathlessly as she tore her seatbelt off, bolting out of the car without waiting for Thomas to come to a stop. 

Kimberly remembered the sound she was hearing from the days when she was in grade school and her mother used to warm the car up before they got in to drive to her school in the winter time. She remembered that her mother always made a point of parking the car outside the garage while it warmed, worrying that the garage would fill with carbon monoxide and poison them all. Of course, at the time, Kimberly had had no idea what carbon monoxide was or did until she was in the ninth grade and one of her classmates had committed suicide by starting the car, leaving it in the garage and letting the whole place fill with carbon monoxide. She had overheard one of the girls saying that carbon monoxide was incredibly lethal but perhaps the best way to die because it felt just like going to sleep. 

And now, all the pieces were beginning to settle into place, the final puzzle in Death's Design. The sound she was hearing was the car running in the garage and the garage would fill with carbon monoxide gas and if Altessa had decided to kill herself that way, there would be almost no chance of her still being alive, since a great deal of time had passed since the teenager had run off. _And it all makes sense, _Kimberly realized suddenly, stopping just before the garage door. _Altessa's nightmares about her dying because of gasoline poisoning make sense now; it wasn't really a Sign for the house explosion but for how she would really die. _

Kimberly grabbed the garage door handle and flung the door upward, coughing and staggering backward as a wave of nauseating odor hit her. She covered her mouth and nose with her hand as she squinted her eyes to get a better look into the garage, knowing exactly what she was going to see. 

Her mental picture didn't disappoint, though she would always wish that it had. Altessa was seated with her back against the back bumper of the family mini-van, head tilted toward the exhaust pipe, which continued to expel the poisonous gas. Despite the way her thick hair sprawled across her face, it was easy to see that the teenager's face appeared slightly swollen, lips puckered and slightly discolored, eyes glazed over with the milky whiteness of death, chest and body still. 

"No." Kimberly choked out once, reaching out to grab the teenager, pulling her away from the pipe, though it was more then too late. Her limbs were stiff, an after effect of Death, and she felt like dead weight in the brunette's arms. "Altessa, please..." She trailed off, unsure of what to say._ Altessa, please, don't be dead...? _Tears filled her eyes as she stared down at the teenager, who was really nothing more then a corpse. 

Altessa was dead, the Design was broken, she and Thomas were free. But somehow, sitting on her knees in the driveway with her friend's corpse in her lap, Kimberly didn't feel very free. 


	30. Epilogue

Epilogue

The day threatened rain; a blanket of gray clouds, heavy with water, was thick across the sky. Even for a graveyard, Kimberly thought the place seemed very quite and empty; she figured that feeling probably came from that fact that, aside from herself and Thomas, everyone else was dead. 

And now, the dead had another of her friends to add to its numbers. As she stared at the newly erected headstone that bore Altessa's name, Kimberly couldn't help but think of how she had failed the teenager. They might have figured out how to postpone the Design but they had ultimately lost; Altessa was dead and there was no changing that. 

A stale wind blew through the cemetery, bringing with it the scent of rain. Kimberly tucked a lock of hair behind her ear to keep it from her face. "This doesn't feel right; I always thought that we'd all get through it, that we'd learn from the last time. But everyone else is dead; Altessa is dead." She mumbled to Thomas, who simply squeezed her hand reassuringly. 

"Altessa died for us; she died so we could live. So we have to live, we can't wallow in grief and regret." Thomas said, turning his head so that he locked eyes with Kimberly, who simply sighed. 

"I know, Altessa gave us another chance and believe me, I'm not going to waste it." Kimberly said, speaking the last words looking at Altessa's tombstone. She was going to make sure that her life wasn't pointless, that she actually did something important now that she had the chance. 

Thomas gave her a wane smile, squeezing her hand once more. "And thanks to Altessa, we have a long time to do that." 

Kimberly nodded though she wasn't quite sure she completely agreed with what Thomas was saying; it was true that they were immediately going to die but there was no possible way to know exactly how long she or Thomas would live. Sighing, Kimberly pushed those thoughts away, not wanting those morbid thoughts to crush her new "life" and Altessa's sacrifice. She would live while she was alive. 

Kimberly looked up when she felt the first raindrop fall upon the top of her head. The clouds had finally opened up, showering drops upon the ground and rain coursed down Altessa's tombstone and newly dug Earth. 

Tears filled her eyes as she thought about what Altessa had said about the rain the day before she died. Foolishly, Kimberly wondered if Altessa could feel the rain; she shook her head, not sure if she was dispelling thoughts or rain water and allowed herself to follow Thomas back to the SUV. 

Thomas gave Kimberly a tight smile as he slipped the key into the ignition, about to offer another comforting sentence when the radio blared on, cutting him off. 

_Let them know you realize that life goes fast, its hard to make the good things last. You realize that the sun don't go down, but it's just an illusion caused by the world spinning 'round. _

As she listed to the words on the radio, Kimberly realized just what song was being played; the song that Altessa had sung during her much happier childhood. Hearing the song now, she couldn't help but think of the teenager and her burrowed life; unsure of why, she chuckled slightly with a smile across her face. Thomas glanced over at the brunette with a confused look upon his face, though he remained silent. 

As Thomas pulled the SUV away from the graveyard, Kimberly gave Altessa's grave a last parting glance. And, as they pulled onto the highway, she began to believe that, somehow, everything would end up being okay. 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

__

Author's Note 

(Aren't you glad I found how to 

use the italics?) 

Well, this story has finally come to an end; who knew, back in July, that it would end with almost ninety reviews and 101 pages on my laptop? I just have to thank everyone who reviewed, thanks so much for enjoying everything and making my writing worth while. I'm sorry that Dharke hated Altessa so much, but everything turned out "all right" in the end. As for the whole "gotten" as a word thing, isn't it a word? It's the past tense of got, you know, I have gotten...whatever; maybe it's just an American word. 

Anyway, with the closing of this story, the reopening of "Stuck" and the "F.D. Musical" will begin, though probably tomorrow because I'm beat after writing this story. We have a school holiday starting Wednesday so I hope to gave a good bit of updates soon. On top of those two F.D. stories, I'm planning a rewritten F.D.2 story (with some major changes) as well as a sequel to the movie "Wrong Turn" and a "Pirates of the Caribbean" story. 

Did anybody else see the movie "Gothika" this weekend (the movie with Halle Berry) because I did and it was a cool movie. And I've been listening to "Behind Blue Eyes" from that movie by Fred Durst ever since then (it's kinda scary, actually) and I'm thinking of putting that in the F.D. Musical. 

But anyway, back to the real reason of this author's note: to thank all of my reviewers for their reviews. You guys have made this the most successful fanfic I've ever written! That's great news to a writer, as Dharke and Curtis know. And for those readers who aren't Dharke and Curtis, go read their stuff, because it's even better then mine. 

So, thanks again for all the reviews, I hope this story was worth your while! I hope you enjoyed this story. 

-Until later....Sparky 


End file.
